Environmental Arts Therapy (EAT)

Environmental Arts Therapy can be understood as therapy that works with natural materials in natural environments through the unfolding year. In this way, nature can be seen as 'another room' or context as well as 'co-therapist' for the therapy.

In the traditional context of Art Therapy practice, the three-way relationship process (i.e. the art, psychotherapist, and client) happens indoors. However, in Environmental Arts Therapy, art psychotherapists are working outdoors, in ways where nature is 'co-therapist' to the process, just as art making is co-therapist within Art Therapy.

'A central feature of ecological therapy is taking clients out of doors and "into nature" – working with the client outdoors but taking the indoors framework of psychotherapy with us… Equally, it is possible to bring the out-of-doors indoors'. (N. Totton, 2012)

Environmental Arts Therapy includes the multiplicity of meanings nature holds for the clients: exploring narratives of connectivity and resilience in nature: working with internal and external issues, listening to and being receptive to nature, as a living process: supporting clients to reposition their sense of themselves within 'the bigger picture'.

Being outdoors allows the therapy process to be experienced across a range of domains (internal/external, self/other, concrete/symbolic, felt/imagined, soma/psyche). It is an embodied process. It helps to develop a deeper relationship with nature and the natural world having a deeply powerful impact on us, facilitating an increased sense of agency and helping establish on-going strategies to cope with personal difficulties.

Eco Psychologists remind us that as a species we are co-created in nature and as individuals we cannot exist, or be understood, without the wider systems we belong to because of this biological bond with the natural world. (Rust & Totton 2012)

Some of the benefits that modern research have discovered when being outdoors in nature are:

When nature is brought in to the therapeutic frame, we directly introduce widening circles of our relational world and working with aspects of connection with and separation from those wider circles of rationality is at the core of Environmental Arts Therapy.

References:
Jones, V. (2015). The Greening of Psychotherapy. BAAT Newsbriefing, July 2015
Jones, V. https://www.vanessajones.org/what-is-ecotherapy
Ivens, S. (2018). Forest Therapy

OUTDOOR PRACTICE
Being a fully qualified Art Psychotherapist I comply with Health and Safety regulations highlighting clearly issues to be aware of in the outside environment. Therefore, offering participants the opportunity to work safely outdoors in nature.

Sessions are suitable for clients living with mental health conditions, including anxiety, stress, depression and social isolation. I offer the opportunity to work safely outdoors, and with nature, weaving in these wider perspectives into a clear and boundaried psychotherapy relationship.

In the event of bad weather or other circumstances beyond the Art Therapist's control, the session will be carried out indoors in the Brentwood Arts Therapy Centre.

COSTS
Book your FREE 20 min CALL for initial enquiries.
Call Irene Malvezi at 07715601222 or email at

Before we work together it is advisable to have assessment. If you agree that Environmental Arts Therapy would be beneficial for you it would be expected that you come once a week for at least three months, as continuity is vital for the therapy to be effective.

Assessment: 50 minutes - £50
Individual sessions for adults: 50 minutes - £70

LOCATION
Outdoor sessions happen at the Weald Country Park, which is 5 minutes walk from the Brentwood Arts Therapy Centre. Meeting point is at Brentwood Arts Therapy Centre.

EAT GROUP WORKSHOPS – Weald Park Wellness Group

I thought the beneficial experiences from working with nature could be passed on to others in the community and in January 2019 I started the Weald Park Wellness Group.
Upcoming Workshops will be appearing on the Centre's Facebook page. Please follow the link to see what is new: https://www.facebook.com/BrentwoodArtsTherapyCentre

EAT Group Workshops are from £20.00 to £45.00 per participant, depending on its duration varying from 2 to 4 hours.
The workshops are suitable for adults. However, if you are under 18 or have additional needs/disabilities and would like to attend, you must be accompanied by an adult who will also be participating.

Upcoming EAT Group Workshops, Events and News will be appearing on the Centre's Facebook page. Please follow the link to see what is new.

https://www.facebook.com/BrentwoodArtsTherapyCentre