Green shoots of recovery: the impact of a mental health ecotherapy programme

Author:
WILSON Neil William
Journal article citation:
Mental Health Review Journal, 15(2), June 2010, pp.4-14.
Publisher:
Emerald

Ecotherapy is a term used to describe an intervention that aims to improve psychological functioning through the use of green space. Branching Out is a 12 week ecotherapy programme for clients with severe and enduring mental health problems who use mental health services within the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. This paper reports on the qualitative findings from the first-year evaluation of the programme, which for each client consisted of approximately 3 hours of ecotherapy per week in outdoor woodland settings. Over the year, 110 clients attended the programme, of whom 70% completed the course. Semistructured interviews were held with 28 clients, and 2 focus groups were conducted with clinicians from the referring services, with data analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. 5 themes emerged as client outcomes: improvements to mental well-being, improvements to physical health, provision of daily structure and routine, transferable knowledge and skill acquisition, and increased social networking and social skills development. 3 service logistics themes emerged as potential explanations for the client outcomes: teambuilding and social inclusion, contrast of environments, and work and recognition. Few negative aspects of the programme were reported.

Subject terms:
intervention, mental health problems, mental health services, therapies, therapy and treatment, ecological approach, environment, evaluation, ecotherapy;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
Scotland
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN print:
1361-9322

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