Ecopsychology (Roszak; Gomes, Kanner)

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage · Theodore Roszak, Mary E. Gomes, Allen D. Kanner · 1992

What it is

Ecopsychology is a theoretical framework and a movement, not a manualised psychotherapy. Roszak's book introduced the term, and his principles are his own. He holds that the core of the mind is an "ecological unconscious". On his view, industrial society represses this layer, and that repression is…

Format

• The originating authors do not publish phases, a session count or a format, so the framework below is a working structure for a psychotherapist adding ecopsychological work to ordinary therapy. Each phase draws on the cited sources, but the sequence is. Session counts and durations are not…
• Phase 1: Assessment and formulation that includes the natural world. Goal: understand the client's relationship with the more-than-human world alongside the usual history. This covers environmental identity, sense of place, childhood contact with nature, current access to green and blue space, and…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status in one line: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 studies found that nature-based interventions (gardening, green exercise and nature-based therapy) improved depressive mood, anxiety and affect in adults, including those with existing mental health problems, with…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• the practice becoming another obligation to fail at. It is working when the client describes more presence and calm.
• idealising or dismissing the experience. It is working when experiences become part of the client's own narrative of change.
• imposing gendered or ideological interpretations, and shaming. It is working when the client chooses changes that reduce strain.
• destabilisation after intense experiences, and difficulty returning home. It is working when insights are carried into daily life.
• framing that implies the client is doing a lesser version. Indoor work is legitimate in its own right. It is working when the client engages and reports a felt shift.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.