EJS Counselling & Psychotherapy

Outdoor Walk & Talk, Eco Therapy & Deeper Nature

My outdoor practice has emerged through my passion to support people with mental health and personal development needs along with my love for the natural world. I have over 15 years experience in mental health, addiction, sexual trauma, depression & anxiety.
I have worked with people of all ages and genders as a counsellor/ psychotherapist and for the last 4 years I have integrated outdoor nature based therapies into my practice.

I completed Accredited Diploma in Regenerative Eco Psychology and Nature Based Practice in March 2022 to underpin this learning. In 2021, I moved my home and practice to Gosbeck in Mid Suffolk. In this location we have a private and confidentiaL nature friendly therapy garden with open countryside and a SSSI woodland closeby where I can walk, sit and facilitate nature connection clients.

Studies now show that people with strong connections with nature report feeling happier and more content. Being outside in nature brings its own healing element and this combines with exploring the symbols and mirroring that nature can offer to support recovery from mental illness, trauma, stress, anxiety as well as to support personal development and meaningful connection to the natural world.

Most importantly, when humans have a better connection to nature, they take care of the natural world in proactive ways.

My approach is informative and will support you to relate to your body as an integral aspect of your life and experience. In the western world educators and organisations have often split the mind and body. We have also become progressively split from the natural world from which we came and grounding and connecting with the universal power of nature has been proven to support trauma recovery. Using a more nature based approach supports you to begin to understand and listen to your body at the same time supporting you to release deep set anxieties and anger in a more caring and connected way.

This is not necessarily an easier route than talking therapy but with more body awareness and love we can begin to heal.


"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."   -Rachel Carson

Location: In our natural healing garden at Gosbeck, IP6 or closeby in Gosbeck Woods.

Walk and Talk Therapy

Brings all the benefits of counselling & psychotherapy session with the added advantage of being out in nature. I carefully select local natural spaces which offer peace and quiet, as well as the beauty of the natural world.

As an experienced psychotherapist, who was also trained in eco-psychology and nature facilitation,  I found being able to work outside during the Covid pandemic supported a number clients who found online communication difficult. The same therapeutic boundaries & code of ethics that apply when working face to face in a room continue in my work outside in nature. 

Eco-therapy

Can support individuals to overcome stress, anxiety and other mental health problems as well as personal issues like grief, trauma or major life changes. Those who want to enhance personal development and their unique relationship to nature can also benefit from eco-therapy.

The focus of eco-therapy is to support the participant to connect with the natural environment in a deeper and more meaningful way which helps them to feel safe and held by nature with a skilled practitioner who acts as listener and guide. We use poetry and story, art, nature based mindfulness practices and invitations to find regular sit spots close to home for daily grounding and journaling.
​
During an ecotherapy session people are supported in a respectful and nonjudgemental way. Confidentiality is central and crucial to this work and participants are never expected to discuss anything they do not feel ready or able to.

Exactly how the session will unfold will depend on the individual but it may include; talking in depth about situations, feelings and experiences; meditation exercises which help people connect to their environment and feel grounded; focusing on a particular tree, plant, rock, animal or piece of land to find meaning and connection in nature; making something creative using natural found materials.

Participants may also be encouraged to explore their environment to find meaning and mirroring from Nature. This supports greater insights into personal experiences, feelings or issues related to emotions, relationships or certain situations.
​
Sessions take place in carefully selected natural wild spaces, chosen for their beauty, peace and tranquility. These spaces may be unsuitable for those with certain health conditions or disabilities; if you feel this applies to you then please get in touch and we will do our best to seek alternative locations to suit individual needs.

Deeper Nature Sessions

Ecopsychology has found a form of practice in wild places, sometimes referred to as ‘wilderness work' or 'deeper nature'.

The term has been widely and loosely applied. Some approaches seek to provide modalities of psychotherapy, for example, but practised outside in wilder places, whilst others are based on traditional indigenous processes, such as rites of passage work.

Have you ever looked up at the sky at night and wondered "why am I here?" or been so touched by the beauty of a tree or landscape that you have been moved to tears? When we have these experiences we are deeply and intuitively being touched by our deepest self, our unique essence which is so fundamentally connected to all of life.
This is how our Soul communicates directly to our consciousness, through the wonder of nature and the vastness of the cosmos.
When we listen to this Soul talk carefully and with great attention, we can find out what our unique place is in this strange life with its joys and sorrows.
​
In these deeper nature session you will be offered an opportunity to listen to the soft inner voice of the Soul, learning that the natural world is also there to guide you to realising your deepest truth and your life's unique purpose.
Nature and Soul are one and the same and both have so much to teach us everyday.
This work is for people of all faiths who wish to deepen their understanding of self and their calling.
It can help support those who are at a transition in life to gently explore what is truly in their heart.
This peaceful offering is however not for the faint hearted as it can be life changing as well as extremely life affirming.

It is most suitable for those who have already embarked on personal development work and feel ready to take their journey further.