Quimby Memorial Library: Ecotherapy: Home

ECOTHERAPY

A synthesis of ecology and psychology seeking to expand and remedy the connection between humans and nature. A central premise is that while the mind is shaped by the modern world, its underlying structure was born from a natural, non-human environment. Treatment is conducted outdoors.

This guide features QML's resources on the theory and practice of Ecotherapy. Click a tab above to view ebooks, articles, videos on Ecotherapy. While the resources provide a well-rounded survey of our holdings on these topics, they are not comprehensive. Please contact us, if you are not seeing represented here any topics, authors, or specific foci, on which you are seeking information.

You will find links to the information you need to access and effectively use the databases housing this material, at the top of each page in this guide.

EBOOKS

This bibliography features some of QML's contemporary ebooks on Ecotherapy. The list, however, is not comprehensive. QML holds additional material on this topic and can access much more, via our interlibrary loan network. If you are not finding what you need here, please email us at askthelibrary@swc.edu.

You can retrieve credentials for accessing ebooks from EBSCOhost, by clicking here.

QML'S EBOOKS DATABASE

Looking for additional information and tips for effectively using QML's ebooks database? Start here.

Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy by Sally Atkins; Melia Snyder
ISBN: 9781785927263
Publication Date: 2017
Responding to the increased interest in the integration of expressive arts and ecotherapy, this book presents a nature based approach to expressive arts work. It provides an overview of the two fields, emphasizing how they can enrich and learn from each other, and highlights attitudes and practices in expressive arts that are particularly relevant to working with nature. This includes cultivating an aesthetic response to the earth, the relationship between beauty and sustainability, and lessons about art and nature from indigenous cultures.
With Nature in Mind by Andy McGeeney
ISBN: 9781785920240
Publication Date: 2016
This book explains how a deeper connection to nature can improve quality of life, by combining the therapeutic power of mindfulness and being out in the natural world. Examining the latest psychological research evidence into how and why the natural world has such a positive effect on us, this book shows how best to utilise these therapeutic connections in practice. 100 nature-based activities are included, from experiencing the full force of the wind, to creating a sound map of natural noises. The aims of each activity are clearly outlined, with detailed guidelines for facilitating outdoor sessions.
Healing with Nature by Rochelle Calvert
ISBN: 9781608687367
Publication Date: 2021
As psychologist and mindfulness teacher Rochelle Calvert explores in this powerful book, one of the greatest sources of healing from trauma is all around us — nature. Dr. Calvert shows how to relate to and connect with nature through the practice of mindfulness to calm and relax the nervous system, tune in to the somatic wisdom of the body to face lingering trauma and rewire it, and work with painful experiences to transform them in ways that heal the individual and contribute to healing the wider world.
Environmental Expressive Therapies: Nature-Assisted Theory and Practice by Alexander Kopytin; Madeline Rugh
ISBN: 9781138233089
Publication Date: 2017
This book contributes to the emerging phenomenon of eco-arts therapy by highlighting the work that international expressive arts therapists have accomplished to establish a framework for incorporating nature as a partner in creative/expressive arts therapy practices. Each of the contributors explores a particular specialization and outlines the implementation of multi-professional and multi-modal "earth-based" creative/expressive interventions that practitioners can use in their daily work with patients with various clinical needs.
"Green Studio" by Alexander Kopytin
ISBN: 9781634842136
Publication Date: 2016
This collection of articles embraces theoretical and practical issues related to the emerging phenomenon of ‘nature-based creative arts therapies’, or ‘eco-arts therapies/environmental arts therapies.’ The articles include highlights of the work that creative/expressive arts therapists from different parts of the globe have done over the last years to establish a new platform and instruments for therapeutic practices. They present a new approach that incorporates nature not as a mere setting for therapeutic creative practices, but often as a partner in the process.
The Healing Forest in Post-Crisis Work with Children by Ronen Berger; Professor Mooli Lahad; Igor Kovyar (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781849054058
Publication Date: 2013
Nature Therapy is an innovative approach based on the direct and creative dialogues humans have with nature. For the first time in the English language, this book presents the theory behind the approach along with detailed guidelines for using it with children who have experienced stress or trauma. The authors explain how nature-based activities ranging from tree planting to making feeding stations for birds can be used therapeutically in conjunction with storytelling and other expressive arts therapies with children who have experienced large-scale crises such as wars, terrorism and natural or man-made disasters, as well as more common causes of stress such as the divorce of parents, moving home, the illness of a loved one and bullying.
Rewilding Children's Imaginations: 99 Creative Activities Inspired by Nature and Folktales From Around the World by Pia Jones; Sarah Pimenta; Tamsin Cooke
ISBN: 9781032014517
Publication Date: 2023
Rewilding Children's Imaginations is a practical and creative resource designed to engage children in the natural world through folktales, storytelling, and artmaking. The guide introduces 21 folklore stories from across the world alongside 99 creative activities, spanning nature and the four seasons of the year. Using the lens of folktales and myths of the land, children are encouraged to explore a variety of activities and exercises across different arts media, from visual art making to storytelling, drama, and movement. This resource: Helps teachers and group facilitators to build confidence in offering a range of creative learning experiences, inspired by nature. Provides a collection of easy-to-use, cross-curricular and storytelling activities. Allows children to connect with nature, their imagination, and folktales from around the world. Builds new skills in oracy, artmaking, collaboration, wellbeing, care of the environment, diversity, respect, and tolerance, and more. Inspires children to tell stories and make art both individually and collaboratively, helping them build confidence as active creators in their community.

ARTICLES

This bibliography features peer-reviewed, searchable journals and academic articles, reporting on contemporary research on and the application of Ecotherapy. The list, however, is not comprehensive. QML holds additional material on this topic and can access much more, via our interlibrary loan network. If you are not finding what you need here, please email us at askthelibrary@swc.edu.

You can retrieve credentials for accessing articles from Taylor & Francis Online, by clicking here.

QML'S ACADEMIC ARTICLES DATABASE

Looking for information on how to access and effectively use QML's academic articles database? Start here.

Ecotherapy Practice: Perceived Obstacles and Solutions by Selina Clare; Keith Tudor
Publication Date: 2023
This article discusses ecotherapy practice using literature, practice, and activity outside as well as inside transactional analysis (TA). Drawing on a survey of mental health professionals regarding their use of nature in therapy sessions, and the first author’s own interpretive review of the literature, the article discusses five identified obstacles to ecotherapy and offers some solutions to those. The authors contextualize their position and experiences (as an ecotherapist and activist and as an activist scholar, respectively) and in relation to indigenous traditions and struggles in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Integrating Humanistic Counseling and Ecotherapy by Kimberly L. A. Walker; Dee C. Ray; Shannon Lollar
Publication Date: 2022
Counselors continue to incorporate ecotherapy into practice and research. Greater conceptualization of ecotherapy within a humanistic framework can inform counselors on how to incorporate clients’ relationships with nature into counseling. Examining ecotherapy application from specific humanistic counseling theories with clients can demonstrate the intentional integration of principles.
Trauma-informed environmental education: Helping students feel safe and connected in nature by Nicole Marie Evans
Publication Date: 2023
In any given environmental education program there are students who have experienced trauma, yet the field has not expanded to consider the particular needs of these students. This paper weaves together strands from psychology, education, and healthcare to outline the concept of trauma and how it manifests in students and to introduce a series of principles for trauma-informed environmental education. Trauma-informed environmental education is not a form of ecotherapy. Rather, it asks environmental educators to have an operational understanding of how trauma shows up in their students and to adopt approaches that have the highest likelihood of supporting these students as they learn and develop lasting bonds with nature.
The Experiences of Counselors-in-Training in A Semester-Long Ecotherapy Course: A Qualitative Study by Megan E. Delaney; Sage W. Rian; Nicole Owenburg
Publication Date: 2022
A growing body of research examines the impact of the natural world on mental health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to analyze experiences of counselors-in-training (CITs) in a semester-long ecotherapy course. CITs were exposed to theoretical constructs and interventions used to conceptualize clients and conduct therapy within an ecotherapy framework. Consensual qualitative research approach was used to explore how CITs understand and make meaning of the course content, as well as how participants integrated the concepts of ecotherapy into their counselor identity and clinical experiences.
The Group EcoWellness Model of Change: A Conceptual Framework for Facilitating Groups in Nature by Ryan F. Reese; Marjorie Gosling
Publication Date: 2020
Group counselors who facilitate groups in and around natural environments may benefit from a clear conceptual model that delineates the underlying theorized elements of therapeutic change in such settings. We sought to develop a theoretically grounded model of change for developing and evaluating nature-based groups, which we call the Group EcoWellness Model of Change (GEMC). The purpose of this article is to describe the theoretical underpinnings of the GEMC and explore one application of the framework in articulating the Fishing for Wellness therapeutic group.
“I Am Actually Growing My Art”: Building an Expressive Terrarium as an Intervention Tool in Arts Therapy by Tami Gavron; Hagai Shemesh
Publication Date: 2022
The Expressive Terrarium is a new intervention tool in the field of ecological arts therapy. The terrarium is a glass bowl containing plants and other objects from nature, art materials, as well as miniature and found objects. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from a sample of students and administrative staff from the same college to better understand the experiential process for future use as a clinical intervention tool. The findings showed that both groups had high positive attitudes toward the terrarium experience. The qualitative data showed that the participants experienced feelings of enjoyment and a sense of calm while engaged in building and tending their terrariums.

BOOKS

Collected here are books on Ecotherapy from QML's physical collection. Click a link to be taken to the book's page in the library's catalog. From there you can view additional details, check the book's availability, and place a hold. While a wealth of material on Ecotherapy is featured here, the list is not comprehensive. Please email us, to inquire about additional resources.

Remote students: keep in mind that items in QML's physical collection are accessible to you as well. Contact library staff to have an item sent via mail, request scans of needed chapters/sections, or inquire about alternative methods of accessing these books or any other resources in our library.

Nature-Based Play and Expressive Therapies: Interventions for Working with Children, Teens, and Families by Janet A. Courtney; Jamie Lynn Langley; Lynn Louise Wonders; Rosalind Heiko; Rose LaPiere
Call Number: RC489.A72 N385 2022
ISBN: 9780367712679
Publication Date: 2022
This book addresses a wide range of healing modalities and case studies that can be used in both indoor and outdoor environments. Each chapter includes vignettes to support the interventions and approaches presented. Readers will find a diverse array of helpful handouts and topics explored, including tips for creating outdoor healing gardens and labyrinths, guidelines for using nature to address trauma, working with sandplay and storytelling in nature, adapting nature-based interventions via telehealth, and much more.
Ecotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice by Martin Jordan; Joe Hinds
Call Number: BF353.5.N37 E26 2016
ISBN: 9781137486875
Publication Date: 2016
In this thought-provoking book, Jordan and Hinds provide a comprehensive exploration of this emerging area of practice. Divided into three parts, the book offers a unique examination of a range of theoretical perspectives, unpacks the latest research and provides a wealth of illuminating practice examples, with a number of chapters dedicated to authors' own first-hand experiences of the positive psychological effects of having contact with nature. Whilst the idea of using nature to improve mental and emotional well-being has existed for many years, growing levels of interest in holistic, reciprocal relationships with nature have led to the development of ecotherapy as an explicit field of research.
Eco-Art Therapy in Practice by Amanda Alders Pike
Call Number: RC489.A7 P55 2021
ISBN: 9780367548766
Publication Date: 2021
This book is uplifting, optimistic, and empowering while outlining cost-effective, time-efficient, and research-based steps on how to use nature in session to enhance client engagement and outcomes. Dr. Pike employs her background and credentials as a certified educational leader and board-certified art therapist to walk readers through establishing ecologically-based practices― such as growing art materials using hydroponics regardless of facility constraints. Each chapter is aligned with the continuing education requirements for art therapy board certification renewal to make its relevance clear and to orient the book for future training program integration.
Nature and Therapy: Understanding Counselling and Psychotherapy in Outdoor Spaces by Martin Jordan
Call Number: BF636.6 .J67 2015
ISBN: 9780415854610
Publication Date: 2014
Recent decades have seen an increasing interest in the healing and therapeutic potential of nature and interest in the potential of greencare interventions for the benefit of mental health. The field of nature based therapies is expanding in line with this interest. Nature and Therapy offers a unique contribution by outlining the specific processes involved in conducting counselling and psychotherapy sessions in outdoor natural environments. Martin Jordan offers a clear outline of how to set up and hold a therapeutic session outdoors. Using case examples Nature and Therapy explores both the practicalities and the therapeutic processes that come into play in an outdoor natural setting.
Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy by Sally Atkins; Melia Snyder
Call Number: RC489.A72 A84 2018
ISBN: 9781785927263
Publication Date: 2017
Responding to the increased interest in the integration of expressive arts and ecotherapy, this book presents a nature based approach to expressive arts work. It provides an overview of the two fields, emphasizing how they can enrich and learn from each other, and highlights attitudes and practices in expressive arts that are particularly relevant to working with nature. This includes cultivating an aesthetic response to the earth, the relationship between beauty and sustainability, and lessons about art and nature from indigenous cultures. Four suggested structures for a nature based expressive arts activity - including writing, body, and ritual centered - are provided in the appendices.
Eco-Art Therapy: Creative Activities That Let Earth Teach by Theresa Sweeney
Call Number: RC 489 .A71 S944 2013
ISBN: 9780615901473
Publication Date: 2013
Chock full of stimulating quotes, inspiring pictures and restorative exercises, this manual provides unparalleled transformation. The search to find ourselves can be a frustrating one. Many of us run in circles trying to find meaning in a world that often times seems all wrong. We try in vain to manage the symptoms of our troubles, but fail to understand the real problem. As this revolutionary book explains, the root of much of our discontent is the unreasonable difference between the way we learn to think and how Nature works.
Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Workbook by Charlton Hall
Call Number: BF353.5.N37 H35 2015
ISBN: 1514840103
Publication Date: 2015
This workbook introduces the 12 skills of Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy (MBE) and introduces one of these skills at each of the 12 sessions in the program. Although this book is designed to accompany the 12-week Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy workshop series, it may also be completed on your own at home. The experiential nature of the work allows anyone with access to outdoor spaces the opportunity to complete the series. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy allows you to embrace the healing power of nature in an experiential way.

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