Ecotherapy
East Bay and South Bay Area of San Francisco
Why Bring Therapy Outside?
Nature invites us to come home to ourselves—to soften our edges, to feel held, and to remember what really matters. In the natural world, we begin to attune to rhythms of balance, stillness, and change. These patterns can regulate the nervous system, enhance clarity, and foster deep emotional insight.
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Being in nature activates all of our senses. It can invite up emotions, memories, or longings that often stay dormant in traditional settings. It’s not uncommon for clients to access a sense of aliveness, grounding, or creative flow that surprises them. Ecotherapy creates space for curiosity, reflection, and connection to something larger than ourselves.
Healing isn’t separate from nature—it is nature.
The Research Behind Ecotherapy
Ecotherapy is rooted in the understanding that our relationship with the natural world is not separate from our mental, emotional, and physical well-being—it’s foundational to it.
While humans have always sought healing in nature, the formal integration of ecological awareness into psychotherapy began taking shape in the 1990s, influenced by the fields of ecopsychology and deep ecology. Ecotherapy draws on Indigenous wisdom, systems thinking, and contemporary psychology to reconnect us with the living world.
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Research now supports what many cultures have long known: spending time in nature can reduce cortisol levels, ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and increase feelings of vitality, connection, and purpose. Nature is a powerful co-regulator. Its rhythms support nervous system regulation, its beauty inspires awe, and its spaciousness helps us slow down and reconnect to our inner voice.
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Ecotherapy is more than fresh air—it’s an intentional, collaborative process. We work at your pace, attuned to your capacity each step of the way.
Ecotherapy: Reconnecting with the Wild Within and Around You
In our fast-paced, tech-saturated world, many of us feel disconnected from something essential—not only from the Earth, but from our own bodies, rhythms, and inner knowing. Ecotherapy offers a space to slow down, root in, and listen differently. Together, we bring the therapeutic process outdoors and let the natural world become part of the dialogue.
What Does a Nature-Based Session Look Like?
You don’t need to be outdoorsy, wear hiking boots, or meet any specific level of physical activity to benefit from this work. Each session is guided by what your body, mind, and spirit need in the moment. We may meet on a trail, in a quiet park, or in an open space. From there, we might walk and talk, find a sit spot to settle and reflect, or engage in gentle somatic or mindfulness-based practices with the natural world as our co-therapist.
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This is your time—unstructured in the best way. Whether we’re listening to birdsong or noticing the shifting light through the trees, nature can offer metaphors, insights, and moments of grounding that often don’t emerge between four walls.
Let’s Begin
If you’re feeling the pull toward the outdoors—toward a deeper relationship with yourself and the world around you—I’d love to walk with you. Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consult and see if this work feels like a fit.