Nature as Co-Therapist: An Introduction to Ecotherapy
Friday, August 22nd
9:30am - 11:30am
with Rev. Connie L. Habash, LMFT
2 CE credits
Online Via Zoom
(link will be sent in confirmation and reminder emails)
Description
Nature immersion is a deeply healing, transformative experience for many of us. Recent studies affirm this, showing that mindful time spent outdoors can profoundly increase our well-being. There are physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual benefits to time spent in nature. It slows us down, returns us to the present moment, soothes our nervous system, shifts our perspective, and connects us to something larger than our individual selves.
Ecotherapy is a process of healing and transformation through connection with the natural world. Although it is usually done outdoors, Ecotherapy can also be brought inside the counseling office in a variety of ways. Through experiential, metaphorical, and conceptual ways, nature can inform and guide therapy sessions, sometimes with surprising synchronicities. Being outdoors in nature offers us unique insights, growth, and renewal that aren’t available inside the four walls of our offices or online. Join us in an afternoon of Ecotherapy, where you will experience these gifts of “nature as the co-therapist”, supporting your journey of healing and growth, and learn applications for clients in your own therapy practice, both indoors and outside. |
Educational Goals
The goal of this program is for participants to be able to understand what Ecotherapy is, its benefits to clients, appropriate client populations to practice ecotherapy with, how to create a meaningful Ecotherapy experience, safety and legal concerns with Ecotherapy, and practical applications of Ecotherapy techniques indoors and outdoors. Experiential exercises in nature (from each participant’s remote location) will be the focal point of this workshop.
Learning Objectives
- Name at least 3 benefits of Ecotherapy
- Explain the difference between "Walk and Talk" therapy and Ecotherapy
- Identify safety considerations for outdoor practice of Ecotherapy
- Conceptualize at least 2 indoor Ecotherapy practices
- Know how to structure an Ecotherapy session in nature and identify at least 2 outdoor Ecotherapy practices
Presenter
Rev. Connie L. Habash, MA, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, ecotherapist, yoga & meditation teacher, interfaith minister, and author of Awakening from Anxiety: A Spiritual Guide to Living a More Calm, Confident, and Courageous Life.
Over the last 31 years, she has helped thousands of students and clients overcome stress, anxiety, depression, and spiritually awaken. Rev. Connie is passionate about deepening personal growth and spirituality through nature. She creates a safe, heart-centered, nurturing space to awaken, grow, and serve the planet in her online community, Awakening Women of the Earth (AWE), as well as her other online programs, in-person retreats, workshops, private practice, and ecotherapy sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Discover more at her website: https://www.AwakeningSelf.com/
Other Details
Time:
9:30am - 11:30am
Other Details:
To make this workshop more engaging and to give you a sense of the outdoor practice of Ecotherapy, we will have an outdoor practice that you will do on your own for about 15-20 minutes in the middle of the session, and then have time to come back and share your experiences. You will be given instructions on how to do this.
Please prepare for this – here are the options:
- Join the workshop on wifi while sitting in an outdoor setting at your home, where you feel comfortable and safe.
- Have a place outdoors, just outside of your home, where you can go during the 15-20 minute practice period (again, where you’ll feel comfortable and safe).
- If you don’t have that available, please sit nearby a window through which you can see some outdoor space – preferably one that you can open to feel the air and hear the outdoor sounds. Even if you live in an urban setting.
***If you will be going outdoors, away from the Zoom call, make sure you have a cell phone or other device to time your practice outside, so you’ll know when to come back indoors.
If you have questions about this, please email me – Connie Habash Connie@AwakeningSelf.com
I look forward to sharing the beauty of Ecotherapy with you!
Cost:
Non-member $35
Licensed Member $30
Associate Member $25
Student Member $20
For questions, more information, accommodations: contact us at sacramentocamft@gmail.com. See specific presentation online in confirmation and reminder emails.
This is an introductory, intermediate, and advanced level course. This program will benefit LMFT, LPCC, LEP and LCSW licensees and pre-licensees. Open to all mental health professionals, both members and non-members.
This course meets the qualifications for 2 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. The Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (SVC-CAMFT), provider #62279, is approved by CAMFT to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. SVC-CAMFT maintains the responsibility for the program and all its content.
CE credit will be awarded via email after the completion of the course in exchange for a course evaluation. No CE credits will be awarded to persons not attending the presentation in it's entirety. Partial CE credit will not be awarded.
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