Santa Barbara, CA

Unceded Chumash Land

Nature Therapy

nATURE AS CO-THERAPIST

Two silhouettes of friends sitting on boulders under a pepper tree

We all have a relationship with the world around us, and unfortunately we are becoming more and more estranged from our natural environment due to systemic reasons. This offering allows us to get into nature and integrate nature into our sessions. Nature is a healing force that is an eternal spring of wisdom it is waiting to gift us. Nature therapy is for all who are interested, from children to adults. 

I will work with you before-hand over telehealth to discuss how we will integrate nature into your healing, as it will be unique for everyone. Typically it will look like finding a public space in nature to meet, and build your relationship and connection with the land by returning repeatedly. When we improve our relationship with nature, we improve our relationship with ourselves and with each other. The change internally is evoked with the ever changing seasons of our nature spot.

If this will be for your child, it will allow us to take our play and creative expression outside. It remains child-led while maintaining safety. Nature will be the co-therapist. Activities we do will vary and depend on what you’re needing, but you can expect various levels of using mindfulness, movement, exploration, curiosity, play, and artistic expression. 

Unceded chumash land

Santa Barbara is on Unceded Chumash Land that is home to many great villages and a thriving balanced ecosystem. Nature therapy has its roots in indigenous wisdom of understanding our interdependent relationship to life around us and the many healing abilities of nature when the relationship is nurtured. The first stewards of the land formed important symbiotic relationships with the plants and animals, which brought an abundance of life. Unfortunately, these relationships have faced ongoing threats for generations due to colonization and land theft. Currently, there are initiatives for returning the land back to the original stewards to heal and regenerate the land so life can be supported for generations to come.

Looking down into Yosemite Valley at waterfalls

Research & resources

Nature therapy is a growing field with exciting new research that reinforces what indigenous knowledge has shared for generations. Spending time and improving our relationship with nature has been shown to decrease anxiety, stress, and depression, as well as improve self-esteem and confidence. When we improve our relationship with nature, we improve our relationship with ourselves and with each other.

Learn more

FAQ

Two people hugging a sequoia for nature therapy

  • Nature therapy is a form of psychotherapy that acknowledges the vital role of nature and addresses the human-nature relationship. It takes into account the latest scientific understandings of our universe and the deepest indigenous wisdom. This perspective address the critical fact that people are intimately connected with, embedded in, and inseparable from the rest of nature.

    How Nature Therapy looks depends on the therapist you are working with. The work includes the relationships you have with everything, including non-human beings.

  • Spending time in nature has been shown to:

    • Lower cortisol, decreasing stress

    • Improve mood

    • Increase feelings of belonging

    • Boosts the immune system

    • Improves cognitive function and attention span

    • Enhances creativity

    See Research for more information.

  • Location will be discussed and decided together prior to first session.

  • Lack of privacy is an inherent risk of nature therapy in public settings. In my experience, privacy has not been an issue with our expansive nature spaces and our community’s respect for one another.

  • I’m available to work one on one or in small group settings. Enrollment for Winter 2027 is open now, see groups tab for more information.

    Teen groups are available on popular demand. Reach out today!

  • Yes, I am Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certified.

    Valid until 7/17/2028

  • Nature therapy can give children, teens and adults a needed break from being inside or looking at screens. Sometimes our life demands us to be sedentary or on devices for long periods of time, and getting outside for a therapy session can help give us our needed dose of vitamin N and movement our bodies need.

    One major benefit is in our eyes and vision, as being outside gives our eyes different distances to observe. This can help soothe the nervous system as our vision supplies the majority of our sensory input.

  • No, tree hugging is entirely optional. You do not have to do anything you do not want to!