A practical introduction to outdoor therapy, how it differs from room-based work, and what therapists need to consider before working outside.
Outdoor therapy is therapeutic work that takes place outside rather than only in a consulting room. It may happen in parks, woodland, gardens, beaches, riverside paths, accessible trails, or other natural and semi-natural settings.
For some therapists, the outdoor setting is a supportive backdrop. For others, nature, movement, seasons, weather and place are actively included in the therapeutic process.
Many clients find it easier to talk while walking, sitting outside, noticing the environment, or having more physical space around them. Outdoor settings can support grounding, regulation, confidence, reflection and a different relationship with the therapeutic conversation.
Outdoor work can also make therapy feel less formal for some clients, while still needing the same professional boundaries, consent, safeguarding and record keeping as other therapy settings.
Outdoor therapy requires practical thinking about privacy, route choice, weather, access, toilets, mobile signal, emergency planning, client suitability and what happens if the session needs to move indoors or online.
A clear outdoor therapy process helps therapists hold the clinical work while also staying attentive to safety and the changing conditions of the environment.
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Forest Bathing Practitioner and International Forest Therapy Diploma training. Suitable for therapists looking to incorporate Shinrin-Yoku and nature connection into professional practice. Accredited by CPD UK and CMA.
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A UK organisation focused on nature-based health, applied ecopsychology and nature connection. Their programmes support practitioners, therapists, healthcare professionals and organisations looking to integrate nature into wellbeing and professional practice. Training combines evidence-based approaches with practical application, helping practitioners build confidence in delivering nature-based interventions.
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A starter guide for therapists planning to offer outdoor, walk-and-talk or nature-based therapy in a professional practice.
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