Verdure: a condition of health and vigor. An introduction.

Sometimes pain is so big that beauty recedes into the background. And sometimes, it is difficult to not contemplate our own inevitable endings. Nature has been a salve for me. It is my root, my home. It is where I rediscover magic when it feels missing from my life. This practice, Verdure Counseling, was started with the hope of sharing the sense of refuge I experience in nature. My therapy practice is an extension of the tools that I have gathered as a mental health social worker, therapeutic wilderness guide, and gardener working with non-profit organizations. Doing therapy is a decision to change your life; what an honor to meet you in a moment where you want to go deep and are reaching out for more tools. It is my hope that through therapy and by growing your connection with nature, you will discover the padding that you need to get through the difficult moments in life and to become your most alive and vibrant self. Verdure means a condition of health and vigor, which is where I hope we end up together.

We are worthy of respect and care. In a system that perpetuates trauma and oppression, it can be difficult, if not impossible to embody the sense of whole-ness that we desire. I want to walk alongside you in reclamation of not only stability, but also vibrancy. To celebrate the resiliency that we all possess. Whether you are dealing with mental health issues related to trauma, oppression, isolation, relationship issues, impulsivity, grief, or other life pains; I want to walk with you. I want to know your story and center what matters to you. I want to celebrate your joys and identities. I want you to feel good in your body and for you to be connected to your senses. I will also be honest with you when I notice things that might be getting in your way, and I will listen to you when you reflect what does or does not feel true in our work together.

We can do the work of healing together and we can do it outdoors.

My therapeutic tools.

If you choose to participate in therapy with me, we will have the opportunity for interpersonal connection, deep reflection, holding your story with compassion, outdoor play, and self honesty. I am excited to share my therapeutic and outdoor training to work towards a state of increased aliveness.

When facilitating a Nature based therapy session, I combine traditional psychotherapy techniques with nature connection activities. I work with a variety of clinical tools including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Systems theory, Feminist Therapy, elements of play therapy, cognitive restructuring, Mindfulness based cognitive interventions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, elements of Psychodrama, attachment based interventions, and creative expressions such as story telling and poetry. I am fully trained in EMDR and it can be a tremendously helpful tool for dealing with trauma.

I have experience working with individuals dealing with a variety of mental health challenges and stress triggers: anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues, exploration of gender identity and sexuality, trauma as it relates to oppression, technology addiction or compulsive technology use, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, environmental grief, grief and loss, and communication issues.

I have experience working with families who are struggling to understand one another, especially in the context of excessive technology use.

Marginalization and trauma

I approach my work from a Systems perspective, contemplating how wounds from your past have impacted your ability to feel good in your body and be as alive as possible. Due to marginalization, trauma, and wounding; we find ourselves ‘shrinking to fit.’ A recently published longitudinal study links poverty and environmental factors to challenging mental health outcomes, displaying that our environment and past pain shape our lives tremendously(Engeman, Pederson, Arge 2019). Ongoing research continues to link marginalization with trauma and mental health challenges. Knowing this information can be disheartening and simultaneously empowering. It helps us contextualize the pain that is felt due to racism, sexism, heterosexism, transphobia, and other forms of marginalization. Using trauma therapy such as EMDR and connecting to your own sense of resiliency can help calm your nervous system, allowing you to heal from toxic stress. While doing therapy together, I want to give you an avenue to honor the pain that you’ve experienced due to marginalization. And then, I want to give you the opportunity to re-shape your story and find your own meaning in it, noticing the ways that you have creatively found to survive and how your resiliency can continue to grow. I’m happy to be at your side as you take this journey.

My framework around marginalization and trauma comes from learning a Systems perspective during my master’s degree program, work with my supervisor Heidi Stauber and use of the ADDRESSING model by Pamela Hayes, in addition to ongoing personal work and trainings around undoing internalized oppression(s), including growing my awareness about my own areas of privilege and power.

A note about marginalization in nature:

Many people have a challenging relationship with nature because it has not been a welcoming environment. This may be due to generational trauma that is tied to nature, personal trauma, not feeling welcome or represented in typically homogenous outdoor culture, having physical limitations, or not having had access to natural spaces as a child. If you are interested in re-claiming your connection with nature, I am interested in finding ways to do this with you. It may be about starting with the grief and loss that you feel about the absence of nature in your life. Nature itself is a non-judgmental space where you are not expected to perform the patterns of any dominant culture. It can be a place to be your authentic self. And, if you find that it is not for you, I would be happy to refer you to an office based therapist.

Regarding accessibility- the Washington Park Arboretum has accessible trails for people who use wheelchairs. Additionally, there are a number of local parks that have wheelchair accessibility outside of the city where we would be able to hold therapeutic groups. Looking for these parks and finding resources could be included in your eco-wellness plan.

What is Nature based therapy?

Nature based therapy is a form of psychotherapy that restores our connection to nature and utilizes that bond to calm our nervous systems. It typically involves talk therapy while adding in nature based exercises, meditations, and embodied experiences outdoors. Practicing therapy in nature gives us a framework for understanding our interdependence in this world. Nature’s restorative properties (reduced blood pressure, lowered stress hormones) create a helpful environment for exploring one’s pain. Importantly to me, nature is a place without judgement; it is a place of profound acceptance where we can be ourselves without fear of how we’re seen. When much of the world wants us to bend to a mold, it is a relief to be surrounded by life that does not ask that of us. This environment of reduced stress and acceptance is a fitting place to seek out our relationship to our most alive and body present selves.

Participating in nature based therapy could look like:

• Doing a therapy session outdoors while hiking, walking in a park, or gardening

• Mapping out your life and finding ways to integrate connection with nature into your daily routine

• Practicing mindfulness in nature

• Participating in outdoor rituals for healing

• Opening and closing our sessions with nature games or nature connection activities

• Creating therapeutic artwork with found objects

• Utilizing natural objects to feel closer to past memories

• Holding space for grief and environmental destruction

• Re-discovering a reciprocal relationship with nature

Time in nature, even without psychotherapy, has tremendous benefits: improved self-esteem, improved impulse control, decreased symptoms of depression, decreased symptoms of anxiety, decreased symptoms of ADHD, increased sense of belonging, and having a non-judgmental place for reflection.

Additional benefits include:

• Experiential and body based learning. Often times our stories and pain are held in our bodies. By engaging your body in movement and sensory experiences outdoors, you may be better able to tap into an understanding of the pain you’ve experienced while integrating a full bodied knowing of your resilient self, and creating a new story.

• It can be fun and we get to engage our sense of play!

• It can be a beginning of a therapeutic mindfulness practice or it can deepen your practice

• It assists in resourcing your nervous system by decreasing stress

• It is an opportunity for a new kind of connection. Having a connection to nature can increase the sense that you belong somewhere.

• Doing therapy in nature can increase therapeutic rapport between therapist and client by operating from a sense of play, movement, or collaboration that can be more challenging in an office

• It can be less intimidating than sitting in a room. Attention can be directed all around you.

Participating in nature based therapy offers us the opportunity to rebuild a relationship with nature, often times leading to an increase in desire for reciprocity with nature. We are at a time when our earth home is in crisis and strengthening our bond can give us the energy to work towards a future in which humans can continue to survive on the planet.