What is Nature-Based Therapy?
Have you ever entered a quiet forest and immediately felt calmer and more connected?
Or maybe you’ve once laid eyes on a soaring eagle in the sky and felt a rush of joy and wonder?
These moments illustrate the core of Nature-Based Therapy, an experiential therapeutic approach that incorporates the inter-relationship between humans and the more-than-human natural world into the work of healing, growth, and development.
Nature-Based Therapy sees human beings as part of a wider, interconnected ecosystem. Nature is regarded as an undeniable part of us, just as much as we are part of them.
Observed from this lens, the illnesses and pain experienced by humans become inseparable from those experienced by nature. Therefore, Nature-Based Therapy seeks to foster re-connection and reciprocal healing between humans and the natural world.
The therapeutic alliance between client, counsellor, and nature as co-therapist is at the core of this approach. Through the counsellor’s invitations to turn towards nature as ‘mirror and metaphor’ to our everyday life and struggles, the client may foster a deeper understanding of the non-human natural world as a wise teacher and as a stable, grounded attachment figure.
What does a Nature-Based Therapy Session Look Like?
Nature-Based Therapy counseling sessions happen in the nearby outdoors. It can happen at a neighborhood park, riverside walking path, lake, forested area, or other nearby nature areas. The client and I will always discuss together beforehand where best to meet.
I like to offer clients the choice to incorporate Mindfulness-Based and somatic (embodied) practices in each session. This could range from mindful movement (i.e. walking, tea drinking, light stretching) to practicing mindfulness of the 5 senses (hear, smelling, taste, touch, see) in nature.
I also incorporate experiential and expressive activities such as creative arts, mirroring nature movement exercises, or role-playing to help clients process emotions and experiences that are sometimes hard to access with words.
We may gently stroll, pause, or sit, depending on how the client is feeling and where the session takes us.
Sessions occur rain or shine, with the exceptions of weather warnings such as rainfall warning, strong winds, heat warning, or snowstorms due to safety. I always inform clients at least 24 hours before a session on any weather and safety-related cancellations, and clients can re-book sessions for a later date.
Nature-Based Therapy in Vancouver & Burnaby
I offer Nature-Based Therapy sessions at these nearby, transit-accessible nature locations:
A tranquil riverside boardwalk and path in South Vancouver along the Sto:lo/Fraser River. Rich with bird life, plant life, otters, and, if we’re lucky, with the occasional appearance of the neighborhood beaver. Wheelchair-accessible path available. Washrooms are also available. Accessible by Bus #100 from Cambie-Marine Skytrain or 22nd Ave Skytrain.
Riverfront Park (2750 East Kent Ave South, Vancouver)
Central Park, Burnaby (3805 Kingsway, Burnaby)
Lush and centrally-located urban forest with tall Red Cedars (Xápayay), Doug Fir (c̓seyəɬp), and Sword Fern (sθχeləm), among many others. Their 2 ponds are often busy with different waterfowls like Mallards and Buffleheads, and of course, the Canada Goose. Wheelchair-accessible paths and washrooms available. Accessible by Bus #19 and Patterson Skytrain station.
Trout Lake Park (3360 Victoria Dr., Vancouver)
A beloved East Vancouver park with a small lake in the middle, surrounded by Weeping Willow trees (among many others) and a Medicine Wheel Garden growing Indigenous food and medicine plants. Washrooms available. Wheelchair-accessible. Transit-accessible by Bus #20 and Commercial-Broadway skytrain.
Jonathan Rogers Park (Vancouver)
This beautiful neighborhood park overlooks the North Shore mountains and has a surprisingly tranquil community garden at its edge with space to sit and admire its rich plant life. Suitable for those who are curious about Nature-Based Therapy but are unsure of what it might look like for them. Washrooms available. Not wheelchair-accessible. Transit accessible with the 99-B-Line and Broadway-City Hall Skytrain.
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My deepest gratitude to Dr. Leigh Joseph (Squamish) and her book Held by the Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness and Kalila George-Wilson (Tsleil-Waututh) and her hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Indigenous Plant Guide for sharing the Indigenous names of the beloved more-than-human Nature ‘co-therapists’ I’ve been priviledged to walk alongside.
SourcesHuman Nature Counselling : What is Nature-Based Therapy? https://humannaturecounselling.ca/what-is-nature-based-therapy/Joschko, et. al. (2023), Nature-Based Therapy in Individuals with Mental Health Disorders, with a Focus on Mental Well-Being and Connectedness to Nature—A Pilot StudyDuffin, K. (2023). Nature: The Thrapeutic Partner. Ecopsychology.