Ecotherapy: Counseling and the Natural World

Catalog description

Ecotherapy is defined as contact with nature as a method or element of counseling and addresses the critical fact that as humans we are interwoven with the natural world. Ecotherapists seek to develop and understand ways of expanding the emotional connection between clients and the natural world within the counseling context, thereby assisting individuals with developing sustainable lifestyles and remedying alienation from nature. Ecotherapy includes a wide range of techniques such as wilderness therapy, forest bathing, equine therapy, animal-assisted therapy, horticultural therapy, biophilic design and green therapy. Students in this course will obtain a firm understanding of the theoretical constructs of Ecosychology, demonstrate a model of EcoWellness, and obtain applicable skills in Ecotherapy.