Outdoor Therapy, Kirriemuir, Angus
Studies have shown that spending time in natural environments on a regular basis has a direct positive impact on our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, so before we even get started with therapy being outdoors is having a positive impact in its own right.
Humans are naturally ecological beings, intrinsically connected to the rhythms of the earth. Our human identity: our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing, and our sense of fulfilment all depend on the quality of the relationship we have with nature. Our society often leaves us disconnected from the natural world and this in part contributes to us experiencing the emotional issues that bring people to therapy.
Psychotherapy aims to help us work through emotional challenges by increasing our awareness of how we relate to others in our world. This in turn allows us to make more conscious choices in our lives.
Outdoor therapy takes traditional psychotherapy ideas and practices and combines them with a purposeful use of nature as a major part of the therapeutic process.
Outdoor therapy goes beyond exploring our relationships with self and others (including the therapist) and includes the natural world as an active living presence in the therapeutic relationship. Doing therapy in a natural environment facilitates a deeper connection to nature and allows nature to become like a co-therapist in the process.
FAQs about Outdoor Therapy
What is outdoor therapy?
When people approach me for outdoor therapy, they often say that it is because they feel more comfortable and less self-conscious talking whilst wandering side by side outdoors, because it is not as intense as sitting in a room opposite your therapist.
It is often also a popular choice because it combines therapy with some gentle activity which supports your wellbeing in a more holistic way than traditional therapy.
While these can both be true, outdoor therapy is so much more than this.
How Do the Sessions Work?
Before we venture outside together, we will arrange a free online session. This will take place on the Zoom platform and will last 30 mins.
The aim of this initial session is to help us develop a shared understanding of what brings you to therapy, and to discuss the practicalities of working outdoors, considering together things like where we meet, how we manage the time, the weather, the pace etc. It is a chance for you to share what you are looking for from therapy, and to discuss any needs or concerns. It will also give you a taste of what it might be like to work with me and decide whether or not my style of therapy will be right for you.
If you decide after this to go ahead, we can start our outdoor sessions near the village of Glamis, Angus.
Each outdoor session will last 50 minutes, although longer sessions may be contracted by prior arrangement. You need to arrive and park your car (if driving) in good time to meet me at our starting point at the commencement time of our session.
Given the terrain and size of the site our sessions will be confined to a specific area defined by our starting point. We will map this out together in our first session outdoors.
There are two meeting points at the site. We will use the same pre agreed meeting point for every session.
You will have the choice of.
Each of these meeting points gives us a threshold space in which we can meet and then transition into the therapy process.
Once we arrive at our location you will have the opportunity to explore a variety of spaces including woodland and river walks.
In the main, this area is part of an expanse Scottish estate there are no benches we can sit on, however if you come prepared with an appropriately sized dry bag, we can create a sit spot wherever we find ourselves if we choose to do so.
We may at times stop at any point to do a focused awareness activity or just notice something of interest like an interesting flower or bird.
We may even engage in creative exercises or grounding sensory exercises utilising the rich natural environment around us. The site offers a lot of potential for exploration and creativity which will be governed by your preferences and may obviously also be influenced by the weather.
I will be keeping an eye on time and will alert you to when we have 15 minutes left of our session. At this point we will need to start heading back to our meeting point, we will then transition through the threshold space to end our session.
What About Confidentiality?
During our initial online session, we will discuss issues of confidentiality and how we will negotiate encountering other people when out walking. The public is used to seeing people walking together every day. We are simply two people walking and talking; there is nothing overtly obvious that will alert anyone to this being a therapy session.
It is likely that we will come into some form of contact with people and animals. We will discuss what you would like to do if we meet someone you know when we are walking. Pausing momentarily or changing route are both simple ways to resolve or avoid such situations. We may just pass by, engrossed in our conversation, or halt our conversation until you feel happy to continue talking. I will follow your lead and will never compromise your confidentiality.
What About Practicalities and Risk Management?
When coming to your outdoor sessions, please dress appropriately for the session.
Wear sturdy closed shoes you do not mind getting muddy (sometimes very). You will need something to keep your feet dry and protected such as walking boots or wellies. The ground can be very uneven.
There are concealed holes in the meadow ground, tree roots in the woodland areas and wet and muddy areas throughout the site.
Comfortable clothes suitable for the weather on any given day, made up of adjustable layers (T-shirt, jumper, waterproof coat for example) are ideal, and long trousers are advisable to protect you from the thistles, nettles, and thorny, spiky plants growing in the area. Remember extra layers during the colder months.
In summer bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated and ensure you have adequate sun protection (sun cream, glasses, hat). To carry spare clothes and water, a rucksack may be preferable to a shoulder bag as it allows you to walk more freely, but this is not essential. You may also wish to bring a mat to sit on (a plastic bag, dry bag, or a simple piece of foam mat will suffice).
Please do not bring any food, alcohol, or cigarettes to the sessions as these are not permitted to be consumed while we work. When using the outdoor space, you will be expected to exercise reasonable care in the activities you engage in and ensure your own safety. You will need to follow any specific safety instructions provided. particularly around the open water areas.
We will be meeting outside at all times of the year, and this means we will have the weather to take into consideration. If we are appropriately equipped for the outdoors, the weather can be a powerful and invigorating part of the experience to be encompassed as part of the therapy and can offer an added dimension to the therapeutic process. Sometimes the weather may on occasion prove to be too unforgiving, however, should the forecast suggest that we would be putting ourselves in danger by undertaking an outdoor session we will temporarily move our session to an online or phone session.
The emphasis in outdoor psychotherapy is on the therapy, and the physical activity is a secondary benefit. You will set the pace of the session. You can choose to have a gentle stroll or a more active, faster paced session, whichever suits you best. You will dictate the pace. We can find places to sit along the way. You do not need to be ‘super fit’ or consider yourself to be an ‘outdoors’ person to benefit from outdoor psychotherapy.
If you have any doubts about your physical capabilities to undertake outdoor sessions, double check with your doctor that there are no medical conditions that would prevent you from participating.
Call Julie
If you feel that outdoor therapy may be helpful, please make contact to arrange a free 30 minute zoom consultation.
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