Ecotherapy
Ecotherapy is a core part of Paula’s practice. She integrates nature-based approaches such as eco-art and eco-play to help clients reconnect with the natural world. Initially, she offers counselling services in environments where the potential to experience a natural connection, whether in her studio, with her co-therapists (her dog Angus and cat Ben), or in natural environments in the community. Through this, she assesses a client's awareness, receptivity and capacity to connect with the nature around them.
Paula has witnessed the profound beauty of children exploring their environments with gentle curiosity, wonder, and awe, and how these early experiences shape their relationship with nature and with themselves. She realized how society and parenting practices often disconnect us from the natural world and the wild nature within us. Paula’s work in ecotherapy is focused on protecting these early attachments to nature, especially with children, while also supporting parents in nurturing their child’s relationship to the earth.
Ecotherapy helps foster reconnections with the self and the living earth, honouring the cycles of life and facilitating the release of life energy. This practice is essential to Paula’s holistic approach to healing, supporting people throughout their lifespan — from childhood to end-of-life care — by nurturing the deep connections we all share with nature.
Our suffering arises from the estrangement between our inner wellbeing and the natural world — a disconnect fostered by socialization. When we realize that we are one with nature, we can rediscover mutual healing and balance.
Some ways Paula weaves Ecotherapy into Counselling sessions:
Outdoor Sessions: Hold sessions outdoors in local parks, forests, or other natural spaces, using the natural environment as a grounding and healing backdrop to explore emotions, challenges, and insights.
In-Studio Sessions: Nature abounds in her Studio! Paula invites clients to explore and heighten their connections to nature, and discover the co-regulating capacities of nature connection. Nature (inseparable from humanity) offers the wisdom of solutions to our most complex human experience.
Nature-Based Play Therapy: Incorporate nature-based activities such as eco-art, eco-play, and outdoor games to help children, in particular, express their feelings, process emotions, and develop social skills in a safe, natural environment.
Eco-Somatic Practices: Reconnect clients with their bodies through natural elements and sensory exploration, using practices such as mindful movement, breathwork, and touch to release tension and promote emotional healing.
Earth-Centered Grief Support: Use rituals and reflection in nature to help clients process grief and navigate life transitions, allowing the natural world to guide them through loss and renewal.
Nature Connection for Anxiety & Depression: Provide grounding tools for mental health, using ecological presence to reduce anxiety and depression. This may include nature walks, mindfulness practices, and sensory engagement with the environment to promote calm and balance.
