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Nature Based Therapy Course for Counsellors

Description

Nature has always been a source of comfort, inspiration, and healing for people. Those good feelings of time spent in natural environments are becoming more well known for their mental health benefits and in response to that, therapists have begun to harness nature’s restorative capacity by challenging convention and offering therapy outdoors. This course is designed to explore the therapeutic benefits of nature and how they can be used to enhance client emotional, psychological, and physical wellbeing.

In this course, students will learn about the theoretical foundations of nature-based therapy, the different types of nature-based interventions, and how to apply them in various settings. They will also explore the role of nature in promoting mindfulness, stress reduction, and overall health.

Throughout the course, students will learn how to incorporate nature-based interventions into their clinical practice. Students will explore what works for promoting change as well as safety and other considerations to this form of therapy.

By the end of this course, students will have gained an understanding of the therapeutic benefits of nature and how they can be used to promote healing and wellbeing. They will also have developed the skills, safety and knowledge necessary to integrate nature-based interventions into their clinical practice. The course includes tips for successfully promoting your nature based therapy offering to potential clients.

Who this course is for:

  • In this course, students will learn about the theoretical foundations of nature-based therapy, the different types of nature-based interventions, and how to apply them.
  • This course is designed to explore the therapeutic benefits of nature for counselors and how they can be used to enhance client emotional, psychological, and physical wellbeing.
  • Throughout the course, students will learn how to incorporate nature-based interventions into their clinical practice
  • By the end of this course, students will have gained an understanding of the therapeutic benefits of nature and how they can be used to promote healing and wellbeing.
  • They will also have developed the skills and knowledge necessary to integrate nature-based interventions into their clinical practice.
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Therapy Outdoors

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Strategies for Problematic Gaming

Strategies for Problematic Gaming

Video games have increasingly become the hobby of choice for many youth around the world. With more and more options of types of games, improving graphics, social connection and intense, engaging storylines, it’s easy to see why it’s become so popular with young people. With this increased prevalence, we’ve also seen the rise in issues related to overuse of video games. While it’s hard to define where the line between healthy use and unhealthy use is, there is a point where unhealthy use can be problematic. Here are a few tips for parents to consider when reflecting on their young person’s video game use.

Strategies for prevention of overuse

  • Promotion of healthy activities and hobbies
  • Sleep
  • Social “in person” interactions with family and friends
  • Time in Nature
  • Physical Activity
  • Anything that supports a strong parent-child relationship can be a protective factor
  • Be a role model for healthy technology use

Setting Healthy Limits:

  • Connecting with your child
  • Positive reinforcement of good behaviour
  • Be positive with your child as much as you can.
  • Working with your child to set boundaries on use and discussing the reasons why
  • Setting limits that include increased responsibility of use. One day they will need to manage their own use so anything we can do to prepare them for this will help.
  • Setting consistent boundaries and having systems built in to support this. (For Example: Timers, Wifi controls, etc)
  • Limit recreational technology on weekdays. Many parents will limit video games on school days, while allowing them on weekends.

Managing Problematic Use:

  • Limit wifi access. For example, turning this off at night or during set periods
  • Change the wifi password daily.
  • Consider removing controllers or cables when your youth will be unsupervised
  • Consider removing devices completely.

What needs is your child meeting through video games?

  • Is your child trying to keep occupied? Find healthy activities and people.
  • Is your child looking for social connection? Find other ways to connect socially.
  • Is your child looking for adrenaline and excitement? Find ‘adrenaline’ sports such as mountain biking, kayaking, etc. to meet that need.
  • Is your child looking for others to validate and accept your child? If so, find responsible adults that can help your child feel accepted.

Treatment

Family participation is so important when considering, planning and implementing change in the problem gamer’s life. Family members can keep young people on track and support that positive change that may be needed in their life. Treatment can occur in multiple ways from working with a counsellor or psychologist in the community or by doing residential treatment where the youth would be at a facility for a given period of time. Therapists use various types of interventions and treatments depending on the situation such as the following.

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): CBT is a therapy that helps people look at their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
  • Motivational Interviewing: Motivational interviewing helps look at a patient’s readiness for change and explores ambiguity around their willingness to change problematic behaviours.
  • Family therapy: Excessive video gaming can impair family relationships, and family interventions seek to improve relationships between the child/youth and family members.

Treatment goals may include:

  • Helping the child/youth to find other activities and people to meet the needs that the video games meet. It can be helpful to explore what needs are being met by the video games. Is it a social need? Or is it a need for dopamine/adrenaline? Or is it a need for achievement?
  • Finding other ways to give adrenaline/dopamine, such as time in nature or physical activity.
  • Finding other ways to have social connection, such as with family or friends.
  • Finding other ways to give mental stimulation, such as reading, learning, or other hobbies.
  • Treating any other mental health conditions that the person has. People with excessive video gaming may have other conditions such as substance use problems, depression, anxiety, ADHD.
  • Addressing any other significant life stresses that the young person may have. The person may have troubles coping with family stresses. Or stresses with bullying and peers. Video games may be a way of escaping and coping with stresses.
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What is Nature Based Therapy?

What is Nature-Based Therapy?

Humans’ disconnection from nature seems to be an ever increasing global challenge as our world becomes more technologically advanced and urbanized. Theories from evolutionary psychology, such as the Biophilia Hypothesis, argue that early humans were immersed in the natural world for millions of years and that a detachment from nature seen in modern humans is a source of psychological distress. The therapeutic properties of time spent in natural environments are becoming more well known and in response, mental health therapists have begun to harness nature’s restorative capacity by challenging convention and offering therapy outdoors.

What is EcoTherapy?

Ecotherapy is the name given to a form of experiential therapy that incorporates counselling interventions in the natural world to improve the client’s growth and development. There are wide ranges of treatment programs, which aim to improve mental and physical well-being through doing outdoor activities in nature. Examples include nature-based meditations, physical exercise in natural settings, horticultural therapy, adventure therapy, conservation activities and nature-based therapy.

What does Nature-Based Therapy look like?

The concept of Nature-Based Therapy combines the inherent benefits of being in nature with a benefits of a therapy session with a trained counsellor. Nature is viewed as a healing partner in the counselling process. The outdoor environment has the ability to encourage different affects in relation to internal worlds. For example, a wooded forest can feel comforting to some while to others this might symbolize a fear they are challenged with. While different therapists will conduct a Nature-Based sessions differently, the concept is similar. This could look like a walk and talk session in a natural setting to applying metaphors from the natural environment to their current life situation.

Benefits

Nature-Based Therapy is an effective means to boost mental wellness and has many psychological, physiological, and social benefits. The psychological effects of therapy in nature include lower blood pressure and research shows that exposure to nature will have profound impact in the decreasing of cortisol levels which can lower stress levels. As well, research also points to increased resilience, improved self-esteem and increased capacity to engage socially with other members of their community and society at large. Natural light, fresh air, exposure to trees and plants seem to improve many people’s outlook on life in a positive manner. One positive aspect of a Nature-Based approach for when an individual is depressed involves how people often retreat into indoor spaces, isolating themselves from the world around them. Using nature based therapy can help people to receive the benefits of being outdoors while still engaging in therapy in a less intimidating environment than a traditional office setting. The calming effect of nature makes it the perfect backdrop for a counselling session.

5 Benefits of Nature Therapy Infographic.png

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