How Practitioners Work with Nature in Nature Based Therapies: Toward a Tentative Model for Intervention

• Main Authors: Naor, Lia, נאור, ל
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2020
• Subjects: Animal cognition; Behavior; Behavioral Sciences; Clinical psychology; Dissertations & theses; Employment; Grounded theory; Intervention; Labor economics; Labor relations; Laboratories; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental health care; Nature; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Stress; Therapy
• ISBN: 9798471163751

Abundant literature and research, links direct contact with nature to a wide range of positive outcomes and increased mental health. Acknowledging the significance of a connection to nature for healthy human development has instigated various nature based therapies (NBTs) that integrate the unique qualities of nature in psychotherapeutic processes to attain therapeutic objectives. Within the large field of NBTs adventure therapy and wilderness therapy that tend mostly to clinical populations are well-established therapeutic approaches that have produced evidence based methods and intervention models. These models provide us with significant understandings. Yet, a specific focus on the natural environment as a therapeutic agent in the clinical process is less prominent in them. Additional approaches in the field of NBTs, include popular modes of intervention that also tend to the general public. These have only started to consolidate the experience and knowledge of practitioners (mostly presented via case studies), to provide conceptual models that focus on how practitioners work with nature. Furthermore, the field of NBTs has yet to develop a general understanding regarding working with nature in the broad field of NBTs that goes beyond the different approaches and perspectives and encompass its richness and diversity. Building upon current understandings in the field, the objective of this study was to gain a general understanding of how practitioners from various approaches and perspectives work with nature in NBTs. Specifically, the research set out to do that through answering three major research questions: (a) What are the basic theories, philosophical foundation, and world views regarding health, healing and nature, from which nature based therapies have emerged and that guide their implementation? (b) What are the distinct therapeutic factors or mechanisms of change in NBTs that specifically relate to the natural environment and that practitioners of diverse types of NBTs describe as key in their work, and which specific therapeutic effects are perceived to be associated with them? (c) How is the therapeutic process in NBTs perceived and practiced from the perspective of practitioners in the field? How does it evolve? What are the basic interventions implemented? And what are the roles of the practitioner and nature in this process?Grounded theory methodology was chosen as the qualitative method of inquiry enabling the development of a general conceptualization, that is currently lacking in the field, and that focuses on the natural environment and its incorporation in psychotherapy. Data included semi structured interviews conducted with 26 practitioners from various backgrounds, approaches and countries and observation and documentation of six NBT programs. The findings of this study advance current understandings in NBTs, highlighting how practitioners work with nature. The first publication delineated the world views and philosophical principles that underline working with nature, answering the first research question. The second publication answers the second research question centering on the distinct therapeutic factors of change, which relate to the natural environment. Four main therapeutic factors were discovered. Two, challenge and the unique natural setting have already been discussed in the literature, but the present study built upon what is known and extended previous insights.