What is ecotherapy?
Ecopsychology is a field that blends ecology with psychology, exploring the deep emotional connection between humans and the Earth. Ecotherapy is a therapeutic approach grounded in the idea that our mental health is connected to our relationship with nature. It acknowledges that humans are an integral part of nature and we stay in mutual dependencies. Ecotherapy includes approaches and practices which aim at restoring relation with nature, such as:
- Psychotherapy with elements of ecotherapy, where we explore not only relations with yourself and other people, but also with nature
- Walk and talk therapy, which is talk therapy in an outdoor setting
- Garden therapy, in which gardening is used as a therapeutic activity
- Animal therapy, or the use of therapy animals
- Ornithology therapy
- Adventure therapy, which involves challenging outdoor activities such as ropes courses (and may be part of wilderness therapy)
- Forest therapy, in which trained guides help participants experience the forest through all their senses
