As more people are turning towards nature to reconnect, find solace and heal, we believe that there are essential skills needed for practitioners who wish to work with people in nature to become both confident and competent. This course of four sessions will take potential nature-wellbeing practitioners on a learning journey that covers the fundamentals needed for taking groups into nature for wellbeing. It grows from more than twelve years of practical experience of running groups deep in the woods, for people with a range of mental health and other challenges. The balancing focus is on how to understand and be in relationship with a natural place, so that all beings can benefit.
Who is it for? Aimed at existing outdoor leaders, healthcare practitioners, social prescribers, therapists, and those wanting to start out on learning about ecotherapy and green-care practices. Primarily for those wanting to work with groups rather than one-to-one. Talk to us if you are not sure if this is for you.
Course Dates and Times The course is made up of four sessions. 9.30-5pm - Thursday July 13th, Thursday July 27th, Thursday Sept 7th, Thursday Sept 21st If you cannot make all dates, it may be possible for catchup sessions to be run as part of the pilot. These may incur additional costs. Please contact us ASAP.
Cost £192. Course cost is based at the very low rate of £48/day, as this is an experimental course where we ask for feedback and your involvement in further development. This includes hot drinks and fruit snacks. Please bring packed lunch. (The full rate for this course is likely to be around £460 pp) Priority will be given to people from Somerset, Devon and Dorset wanting to create their own practice.
Location At Neroche Woodlanders base, Young Wood, near Staple Fitzpaine, Taunton, Somerset.
What will we cover?
Being a practitioner
Unpicking ecopsychology, ecotherapy and reciprocal nature-connection.
Considering personal and professional intentions as a practitioner.
Understanding what competence can look and feel like.
Being aware of relevant regulatory frameworks.
Practices for nature-wellbeing
Understanding different kinds of interventions, where and with whom to use them.
Practice a range of activities and processes – crafts, sensory, stillness, movement.
Plan, run and learn from micro-sessions.
Working with groups outdoors
Facilitative group leadership and Way of Council.
What it takes to be inclusive.
Building a “safe container” and a kind, nourishing community.
Assessing risks and staying safe.
Understanding ways to monitor progress and outcomes.
Connecting with Place
Becoming nature literate through identifying plants and animals.
Understanding elements of woodland habitats.
Working with natural rhythms in a place – seasons, weather, life/death.
Putting reciprocity with nature/place into practice.
Who are the course leaders? Lead by Jenny Archard with sessions co-delivered by others including Gavin Saunders, Sarah Holdway and Tiff Lovedale. The course leaders will bring their own experiences and broaden discussion to look at practices elsewhere.
Will there be coursework outside of sessions? To get the most from the course we will be setting work to be done between sessions and brought back to the group, some of which will be reviewed by course tutors. We encourage learners to keep a journal throughout the course.
Is it accredited? This is an experimental course for Neroche Woodlanders, to find the best ways to share what we have learned with those in our local area so that more people can benefit from supported time in nature, and more nature can benefit from humans who care. As such it is non-accredited. There is a thorough learning framework and assessment criteria that will be shared with the course participants.
Why is it low-cost? This pilot course is part-funded, to enable Neroche Woodlanders to develop training that fits with local needs and in the longer term will help many new practitioners find ways to offer nature-wellbeing to clients or patients. Learners will be asked to help with feedback and design as the sessions progress. Because of this, places are subsidised.
Have queries and want to know more? Contact jenny@nerochewoodlanders.org Places are limited so we can manage quality and use the course to design future work.