Research shows that being in or around nature has numerous positive mental health benefits like stress reduction, and that's a great reason to be out in it and to preserve it. At the same time, only getting those benefits of nature--rather than feeling deeply interconnected with it--misses a greater point about our mutual relationship with nature, and how we live and are embedded in the natural world. As a result, I seek to not perpetuate that approach in outdoor therapy by simply walking-and-talking, but by taking some time during each session to engage with the environment we're in.

No prior experience is needed for hiking, and all levels of physical ability are welcome. No specialized gear is needed or required; hikes are not strenuous and can be done in sneakers if you don't have hiking boots. Flat or slightly hilly hikes can be chosen based on interest. All hikes take place in selected city nature areas and township or county nature preserves or parks that are peaceful and restorative. 

I'm Red Cross-certified in First Aid and CPR. I follow Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, and brief client guidance in Leave No Trace is a part of my hiking therapy program. 

I'm committed to accessibility. Paved trails, time for resting, or seated time in nature instead of hiking are all available if you need them for accessibility reasons. Please let me know how I can be of help in this way.

hiking therapy

therapy sessions outdoors

Otherwise-typical therapy sessions--for any therapy, not just eco-related--for established clients to be held outdoors. As described above, a part of any hiking therapy session involves intentionally engaging with the natural world, through experiences like mindfulness.

mental health hikes

connect more deeply to our ecosystem

 My mental health hikes are designed specifically as an ecotherapy intervention to help you not only feel the benefits of being outdoors during therapy but also to help increase your connection to what's called the "more-than-human world." Such connection can benefit both people and the planet.

outdoor-related Anxieties or phobias

insects, animals, or plants, or being new to the outdoors

​If you're someone who wants to be close to nature or to get outside more but are worried or unsure about how to do so, or if you have anxiety about nature or a specific fear of
certain aspects of nature, I can design mental health hikes and/or outdoor behavioral therapy for you.

Please note that I am not able to provide services for anxiety or phobias related to medical conditions and the outdoors.

Desensitization for outdoor phobias does not involve activities such as touching toxic plants or getting too close to wildlife. It involves working together to develop and systematically work toward your goals in person to become more comfortable with what you currently fear.