eco therapy
What is eco therapy?
Ecotherapy (sometimes called nature therapy or nature-based therapy) is an approach to wellbeing that recognises the deep relationship between human health and the natural world. It can include activities such as walking outdoors, working with plants, spending time in nature, reflective practices, mindfulness, creative activities, and exploring our connection with the living world.
Research suggests that spending time in nature can support mental health, reduce stress, improve mood, and help us feel more connected to ourselves and our surroundings.
But for me, ecotherapy is about so much more than simply spending time outdoors.
We don't need to reconnect with nature... We are nature
One of the biggest misunderstandings about ecotherapy is the idea that we have somehow become separate from nature and need to reconnect.
My training taught me to see it differently: we are nature.
Our bodies are nature. Our emotions are nature. Our dreams, instincts, longings, limitations, and cycles are nature too. The tree does not need to reconnect with nature. The river does not need to reconnect with nature. Neither do we.
What many of us have lost is not our connection itself, but our awareness of it.
Learning to Listen
Modern life often asks us to override our natural rhythms. We are encouraged to be productive all year round, energetic every day, emotionally stable at all times, and constantly striving for improvement.
Yet nature does not work this way. The seasons change, and the tides ebb and flow. Animals know how to rest. Trees shed their leaves in winter and come back stronger in spring. Everything in the natural world moves through cycles. Human beings are no different.
Part of ecotherapy is learning to listen to these rhythms within ourselves. To recognise that tiredness, grief, uncertainty, change, and even periods of withdrawal are not necessarily signs that something is wrong. Sometimes they are invitations to slow down, pay attention, and honour where we are.
Meaning and aliveness
Nature is not simply a backdrop for healing.
A tree growing through difficult conditions. A river finding its way around an obstacle. The changing seasons. The return of birds in spring. The composting of old growth into fertile soil.
These are not just things we observe. They can become mirrors through which we better understand life and our part in it.
In ecotherapy, we pay attention to these patterns and relationships, not because nature has all the answers, but because it reminds us that we are part of something larger than ourselves. And this can give us the meaning and aliveness so many of us are seeking right now.
Paying attention to what calls us
Sometimes healing begins with something very small. A dream that lingers after waking. A chance encounter. A sudden feeling. The call of a bird. A plant that repeatedly catches your attention. A knock at the door that turns out not to be a knock at all (coincidentally – or not – this actually happened to me as I was writing this piece).
Many traditions throughout history have understood that life is constantly communicating with us. Ecotherapy creates space to notice what is trying to get our attention and to explore what meaning it may hold.
This is not about magical thinking or escaping reality. It is about becoming more awake to our experience and to the relationships that shape our lives.
My approach to Ecotherapy
My approach combines therapeutic conversation, reflective writing, dreamwork, and nature-based practices.
Together, we explore not only what has happened in your life, but how you relate to yourself, your body, your story, and the wider living world.
At the heart of this work is a simple belief: that healing often begins when we stop trying to force ourselves to be different and instead learn to listen with greater curiosity, gentleness, and care.
FAQ
What is eco therapy?
Eco therapy (sometimes called nature therapy or nature-based therapy) is a form of therapy that explores our relationship with the natural world and what it can teach us about ourselves. While some sessions may include time outdoors, eco therapy is about much more than spending time in nature. It is based on the understanding that we are part of the natural world and that reconnecting with our own rhythms, cycles, emotions, and instincts can support healing and wellbeing.
Do I need to be outdoors for eco therapy?
Not necessarily. Some people choose to work outdoors, while others prefer online or indoor sessions. Eco therapy can involve working directly with nature, but it can also include reflective conversation, dreamwork, writing practices, and exploring how nature's patterns relate to your own life and experiences.
What kinds of issues can eco therapy help with?
People come to eco therapy for many reasons, including stress, anxiety, grief, burnout, chronic illness, life transitions, identity questions, neurodivergence, peri-menopause, trauma, and a desire for deeper meaning or connection. You do not need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy.
Do you work with people who are highly sensitive?
Yes. I work particularly well with people who experience the world deeply, including highly sensitive people, those living with chronic illness, neurodivergent people, and those who have always felt a little outside the mainstream. Sensitivity is not something that needs fixing. It can become a source of wisdom, creativity, and connection when understood and supported.
How much does a session cost and how long does it last?
Individual therapy sessions cost £65 in person, and £55 for online sessions which last for 1 hour. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your needs.
Do I need experience with dreamwork, spirituality, or nature-based practices?
No. Many people arrive with no previous experience of these approaches. My role is not to tell you what to believe, but to create a safe and supportive space where we can explore your experiences together with curiosity and care.
How do I know if we are the right fit?
The relationship between therapist and client is one of the most important factors in successful therapy. If something in my approach resonates with you, I invite you to get in touch for an initial conversation. This gives us an opportunity to explore what you are looking for and whether working together feels right for both of us.
What Story Do You Want to Live?
Inheritance
We all inherit stories about who we should be, how we should live and what it means to be enough. Some help us flourish, others quietly ask us to become smaller. Together we can begin noticing the stories you've inherited.
Curiosity
Together we'll gently wonder where your beliefs came from, whether they still serve you and what new possibilities might emerge when familiar stories are held a little more lightly.
Authorship
We can't rewrite the past, but we can change our relationship with it. Through reflection, conversation and therapeutic writing, we begin to discover that we are more than inherited stories, we are active participants in the ones still unfolding.