8: 10-Minute Takeaway: The Impact of Childhood Nature Exposure on Adult Mental Health
While we as therapists do lean on our intuition, it’s important that our work be rooted in research. In my 10-Minute Takeaway series, I break down recent research in the world of nature-based therapy to help you serve your patients to the best of your abilities.
In this episode, I share recent findings from a study on how nature exposure in childhood impacts mental health in adulthood. I explain how the study was conducted, what the researchers tested for, and the results. Then, I talk about how you can apply these findings to your own work as a nature-based therapist.
We’ll discuss:
- How to join the paid TGO community and what kinds of resources you can find there
- This week’s article on how early nature exposure can impact adult mental health
- How to measure availability, duration, and quality of nature exposure
- How early nature exposure improves mental health later in life
- Which mental health disorders and behavior problems can be reduced through exposure to nature
- How nature exposure especially impacts people from disadvantaged backgrounds
- How we can apply these findings to our own practices
Resources from this episode:
Life Course Nature Exposure and Mental Health Outcomes A Systematic Review and Future Directions
If you're ready to take the next step in this adventure, join our free Therapy in the Great Outdoors Community at therapyinthegreatoutdoors.com. The TGO community is a private space just for nature based pediatric practitioners. We have loads of resources there to support you as you start or grow a nature based practice or program.
Are you a pediatric therapist interested in taking your work with children out into nature? The ConTiGO Approach Online Course will open for registration soon: visit www.ConTiGOapproach.com to join the waitlist.
