Wilderness Therapy

I provide ecotherapy in multiple ways, by engaging Spirit during sessions, facilitating therapy sessions at outdoor trails and parks, altar building, integrating herbalism and more!

Restoring relationship to nature and connecting to self. Creating safety and grounding within your environment.

I have a background in wilderness therapy and outdoor behavioral health. I have hopes of beginning the first active wilderness therapy program for teens (not counting substance use programs) in the state of Virginia within the next 5 years.

I have experience working at a wilderness treatment center. I currently provide outdoor walk-and-talk sessions to incorporate nature.

The most important thing that happens during Outdoor (Wilderness) Therapy is that I accept you just as you are and hear & understand what you want and need. Amazing things are happening to you when you are outside. The Great Outdoors is a healing tonic for our busy brains. Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health and emotional well-being. Combining nature and psychotherapy can lead to new breakthroughs, insights and understanding.

While I do not offer traditional Wilderness Therapy, I do offer Nature Based Therapy. This often looks like incorporating the natural world around us into each session either through mindfulness, movement, or grounding practices! I practice on a 20 acre farm in the St. Croix Valley, so the natural beauty is abundant.

Research is now piling up supporting what those of us who have loved the outdoors for centuries already knew: that time in nature helps calm and regulate our nervous system. I incorporate simple nature-based exercises and wilderness therapy into my work with clients in a way that supports nervous system regulation, calms stress hormones, and boosts focus/concentration and mood. This looks differently for each client, but could be as simple as holding a session outdoors or going for a walk.

My introduction to providing therapy was in the field of Adventure/Wilderness Therapy. This highly engaging method of therapy provides clients with real-life opportunities to learn and practice various mental health skills. Adventure Therapy can be a fantastic tool for children and adolescents who are reluctant to do traditional talk therapy, but has benefits for anyone who chooses to engage in this method. You don't have to be a nature lover to benefit from Adventure Therapy sessions.

Retreats are my favorite unique delivery system for therapy. It's intensive, accelerated, focused on providing all the safe and soft places for a person to dig their deepest to connect with their inner most wounded inner child and hurt places. When you include unplugging, solitude, forest bathing, mother nature supported, gentleness of all that is natural and organic - including delicious nurturing food prepared for you with love and a hot tub under the stars for starters.