The natural choice: What personal values, beliefs and experiences lead counsellors to choose to practise outdoors with clients and what effect could that have on the therapy? A heuristic inquiry

Do you work outdoors with clients?

I'm Janine and I'm an MSc Psychotherapeutic Counselling student at Staffordshire University. I am also a counsellor in private practice in Cheshire offering sessions outdoors and a forest bathing/nature connection guide.

What's it about?

I am interested in the story of your relationship with the natural world and what that brings into your practice. I am conducting a heuristic inquiry, which means that I am at the same time examining this question for myself.

Much as we might reflect on what draws us to a particular modality, presenting issue or client population, I am exploring what lies behind the decision to practise outdoors.

I am hoping that as well as helping to build a body of research for this growing area of practice, this will also give those who take part the opportunity for some valuable reflection.

What's involved?

At this stage, you will be invited to an online survey platform to write reflectively in response to the research topic. This writing could take approx. 45 minutes.

I鈥檇 then like to meet up with a small number of participants individually for a face-to-face informal interview outdoors. That鈥檚 dependent on location and availability and doing the written reflection doesn鈥檛 commit you to this. There is no obligation to put yourself forward for this stage of the research.

Ethical approval for this study has been granted by Staffordshire University鈥檚 ethical panel.

Inclusion criteria

To participate you must:

  • Be over 18 years of age.
  • Be a qualified counsellor practising in the UK.
  • Conduct some of your client work outdoors, or have done so within the past two years.
  • Want to reflect on what led you to practise outdoors.

Interested? Email me

If you meet the above criteria and are interested in sharing your experience to help inform this growing area of practice, please email me at: k021934l@student.staffs.ac.uk

I will share the full information sheet and consent form with you, and once I have the consent form back, will invite you to complete the questionnaire on a Microsoft form.

Thank you for your time and interest in this project.