Talk With Me Outside: Therapists' Experiences of the Therapeutic Relationship in Natural Outdoor Settings

Urban Farm DB summary

This qualitative study explores therapists' experiences of the therapeutic relationship when therapy is conducted in natural public spaces such as parks, footpaths and community gardens. Six therapists took part in one-to-one semi-structured interviews analyzed thematically. Therapists described a more equalized relationship, with both therapist and client exposed to the unpredictability of the environment, creating a dynamic interplay in which collaboration to overcome unexpected situations produced a natural vulnerability; relational depth became more apparent, and therapists were perceived as fallible outdoors as opposed to infallible indoors. Despite potential risks, the unboundaried natural environment offered a relational therapeutic depth and intimacy carrying an embedded equality that participants experienced as enriching and transformative. The findings suggest nature-based therapy enhances and equalizes the therapeutic relationship while supporting the well-being of both therapist and client, and the study recommends embedding outdoor therapy interventions within blended approaches to talking therapies and integrating nature-based practices into core counselling and psychotherapy training programs.