Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy

58 NATURE-BASED EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY

Traditional

psychotherapy

Nature‑based

expressive arts

(NBEA) therapy

Goal of work • To alleviate

symptoms of

psychological

disorder in

individuals and

groups

• To feel better
  mentally and
  emotionally
  
  
  • To create a life worth
    living that contributes
    to both human and
    ecological wellbeing
  
  
  • To understand and
    transform symptoms
    into energy for
    meaningful action
  
  
  
  

Praxis • Talk therapy

• Psychoeducation


• Coping skills
  training


• Medication

Could incorporate

traditional elements but

also:

• Nature-informed
  conceptualization,
  assessment, and
  intervention


• Questioning stories
  that could be
  perpetuating an
  unsustainable life


• Decentering in nature
  and reconnection to
  nature-based resources
  for wellbeing


• Aesthetic response
  to nature-based
  experiences


• Linking to elders,
  stories, rites, and
  rituals


• Developing an NBEA
  daily practice


• Visioning a life worth
  living that cares for
  the Earth