ecopsychotherapy

English

Etymology

From eco- +‎ psychotherapy; perhaps influenced by ecopsychology and ecopsychiatry.

Noun

ecopsychotherapy (uncountable)

1. (rare) Nature-centered psychotherapy: the use of nature to promote mental health.
   • 1998, Randall White, “Psychiatry and Ecopsychology”, chapter 13 of Ante Lundberg (editor), The Environment and Mental Health: A Guide for Clinicians,^[1] Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, →ISBN, page 211:

     In [Paul] Shepard’s and [Theodore] Roszak’s version, providing ecopsychotherapy and changing our child rearing practices will reunite us with nature and help us avert environmental catastrophe.

   • 1998, George William Burns, Nature-Guided Therapy: Brief Integrative Strategies for Health and Well-being‎^[2], Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 76:

     While psychotherapy has traditionally looked within the individual for answers, ecopsychotherapy explores how the answers may be found in our relationship with the natural environment.

   • 2004, Sebastiano Santostefano, Child Therapy in the Great Outdoors: A Relational View‎^[3], Routledge, →ISBN, page 155:

     Ecopsychotherapy was formulated by Burns (1998) […] In broad terms, ecopsychotherapy proposes that it is beneficial to shift attention away from internal personal problems toward sensory experiences that bring pleasure.