Ecotherapy in Charlottesville, VA
“Nature is an incomparable guide if you know how to follow her. She is like the needle of the compass pointing to the North, which is most useful… when you know how to navigate.” C. G. Jung
At Full Life, our therapists acknowledge the particular and unique time we are alive today. It presents many rich opportunities. But, it also offers challenging questions and issues, often resulting in great suffering. Some of these collective issues surround:
Social inequities
The changing role of technology
Climate change
Political conflict
Limited community ties
And disconnected personal relationships
We understand that larger community and social issues impact our mental health as a practice. So, we offer ecotherapy as a rich and unique way to respond to the gifts and struggles of navigating being human.
What is ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy is an emerging form of therapy. It enlarges the traditional scope of treatment. It includes the human-nature relationship often with nature. Or, aspects of nature as a part of the therapy process. This may include sessions held outdoors or indoors interacting with plants, nature-based imagery, or objects. When including nature into the traditional relationship between therapist and patient, ecotherapy presents a dynamic third in the therapeutic relationship. Here, nature is not a passive witness. Instead, it is an acknowledged and invited participant in the discourse of the therapeutic session itself. This creates opportunities for nature-based therapy focused on the mind-body-spirit connection to thrive.
Many of us might experience reduced stress or transformative experiences:
On a walk outdoors
While gardening
Watching a seashore
Hiking to a mountain view
Resting under a tree
Or petting an animal
As ecotherapists, we delight when patients have these practices in their life or wish to increase them.
But, contrary to popular thought, these experiences are not what makeup ecotherapy. Nature therapy acknowledges the health and wisdom in these practices. All while also setting itself apart by engaging with these natural and powerful relationships. These occur within the context of a trained therapist. They can offer a vital supportive therapeutic rapport, and provide an expert to engage with nature in safe and meaningful ways for both humans and nature involved.
We're committed to offering ecotherapy in Charlottesville, VA through a justice and anti-oppression framework.
We acknowledge that to practice land-based healing, we must also honor and attend to land-based traumas both historical and current. Also, we believe it would be incomplete to provide trauma-informed therapy services partnering with nature that does not also attend to collective and cultural traumas. As well as experiences of thriving, joy, and resilience embedded in our sense of place. We view these not only as invitations for further healing. We also see these as a commitment to continue practices of decolonization, antiracism, and decentering patterns of exploitation. An eco therapist will take care to listen to how your experiences of culture, identity, and intersecting social locations impact you. All while approaching your goals and life experiences with humility in natural spaces and beyond.
How can ecotherapy in Charlottesville, VA help me?
Ecotherapy can be transformative in:
Nervous system regulation
Countering isolation and loneliness, fostering a sense of belonging
Supporting those seeking purpose and clarity on life paths
Providing an alternative to traditional therapy for clients with neurodivergence
Healing attachment-based wounds and promoting earned secure attachment
Improving relationship with self includes fostering self-compassion and radical acceptance, self-discovery
Moving through transitions and life stage transitions
Relieving climate-specific anxiety and climate grief, a sense of powerlessness, and hopelessness in the face of climate change
Providing meaningful experiences of awe, interconnection, and embodied wholeness
Where and how does ecotherapy take place?
We offer ecotherapy in a variety of formats
In outdoor settings such as a park, farm, or nature center
In the therapy office with nature objects, indoor plants, and horticulture therapy
Via online therapy with in-home plants, animals, available outdoor access
A hybrid of in-person and telehealth sessions
Day-long or multi-day group therapies and workshops
Nature experiences we invite clients to engage in between sessions to deepen therapeutic themes or to provide material to reflect on and process in the following sessions
Curriculum Development
Many of the staff at Full Life have experience:
Developing rites of passage
Doing wilderness-based leadership training
Course development
And intentional healing in nature-based settings
These experiences have been very meaningful to us. We love to support other people who are doing this work. We are available for consultation with people developing their own nature-based healing and leadership activities.
Workshop: Inhabiting the Sacred Earth
This workshop is co-facilitated by Hunter and Sarah Teets. It explores how our lived relationship to the land we inhabit can inform our engagement with land-based justice movements. By exploring ancient historical case studies, we will consider different cultural lenses on the concept of land ownership and land-based justice.
We will also consider the implications of our own habitation as individuals with and without rights, as members of communities, and as participants in ecologies.
We aim to inspire participants to a new experience of themselves. One that is integral to the natural world and their communities, capable of making a positive impact within it.
Helianthus Farm
Helianthus Farm is a small permaculture farm. It's inhabited and managed by Hunter and Sarah. We believe humans are part of nature. This means that we can influence natural systems for mutual benefit.
We aspire to manage the land in a way that:
Brings health back to the local ecosystem
Provides nutrient-dense food
Strengthens community through shared work and celebration
And supports people in finding healing in experiences with the land
We offer a small CSA, community work days. Here, we cook a feast, share a meal, and have land-based celebrations like community cider pressing. Are you interested in hearing more about Helianthus Farm? If so, please sign up for the email list here helianthus-farm@googlegroups.com
Begin Ecotherapy in Charlottesville, VA
You can experience the healing effects of nature with the support of a caring therapist. Our team is happy to offer support from our Charlottesville, VA-based therapy practice. You can connect with nature on a deeper level by following these simple steps:
Meet with a caring therapist
Start experiencing the healing effects of nature!
Other Services Offered with Full Life Counseling
Ecotherapy isn't the only service offered at our Charlottesville, VA-based therapy practice. If you need help in an area that is not listed, please give us a call or check out our blog. Chances are that one of our skilled therapists at Full Life has experience working with patients for whatever concern arises. We have experience in counseling for college students, anxiety treatment, trauma, depression, trauma, eating disorder treatment, stress, and more. If not, we are well-rooted in the local therapy community and will help you find the right fit. We are also happy to offer marriage counseling, therapy for therapists, and more! Contact us today to get started.