Nature-connection mentoring (8 Shields, Young)

Domain XV · Nature, philosophy, social & rites of passage · Jon Young, Ellen Haas, Evan McGown

What it is

Nature-connection mentoring is not a psychotherapy. It is an outdoor-education and mentoring tradition. WAS sells Coyote's Guide as "a complete manual for the outdoor mentoring approach taught at Wilderness Awareness School", covering principles of nature connection, techniques of Coyote mentoring,…

Format

• The model has no clinical phases and no set session count. Its sources describe three interlocking structures. A therapist adapting it should treat them as design tools rather than a protocol.
• A. Core routines (the ongoing practice). These are small, repeated practices done alone or in groups. Different sources group them differently. One practitioner reading of Coyote's Guide sets them in a two-step cycle: first experience (sit spot, tracking, primitive skills, harvesting, bird…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• C. The mentoring relationship (the stance across both). Ideally this is a mentor and a learner, held within a wider community with a nature-connected culture. The mentor uses questions, curiosity and the senses rather than lectures. Adults are taught to build their own "ropes to nature" through the core routines before mentoring children, because connection is "led by example".
• Training and roles. WAS, 8 Shields and the Art of Mentoring courses offer training. NAAEE lists a three-part online 8 Shields course for parents and teachers. No certifying body, competence standard or insurance requirement for 8 Shields mentors has been verified. A therapist who also mentors in this tradition holds two roles. The APA Ethics Code Standard 3.05 (Multiple Relationships) applies. Check that…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status: no controlled evaluation of Coyote mentoring or the 8 Shields model has been verified. The general literature on nature connectedness is a separate body of work and should not be read as evidence for this specific model.

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 any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• 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?
• 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

• perfectionist clients raising the bar; shame after misses. Signs it is working: consistent, low-effort repetition.
• the therapist presenting borrowed ceremony as their own; the client's tradition being overwritten. Signs it is working: the client owns the meaning.
• skipping this because the place feels familiar; clients who will not disclose needs. Signs it is working: the client is relaxed and makes sensible choices.
• confidentiality within the group; members who are excluded or dominate; pressure to disclose. Signs it is working: members respond to one another and offer help.
• enthusiasm overriding clinical judgement; imposing your own meanings on the client's experience. Signs it is working: you can offer the routines lightly and flexibly.

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.