Nature Based interventions

“The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind”

Paracelsus (1493-1541).

Social prescribing is the provision of non-clinical support for people with a range of mental and physical health problems. Nature helps restore emotional regulation, essential to coping successfully with challenges in everyday life. Developing resilience to keep negative mindsets at bay, replaced by positive emotions, has benefits for both health and wellbeing.

Referred by GP’s, schools or other professional service, we can provide nature based interventions as an alternative, or alongside prescribed medication to improve health and wellbeing of participants. Our activities are designed to help people maintain positive mood, shifting mindsets away from negative states, strengthening resilience, emotional and social skills, self esteem and self assurance.

“Going to the woods is like going home” John Muir

Being in nature encourages positive psychological responses.and our 20 acre woodland is an oasis of calm and tranquility. A therapeutic landscape, surrounded by fields and with no public access or rights of way, the ancient woodland is a perfect place to deliver nature based health and wellbeing interventions.

Spending time in a therapeutic landscape does not deliver an instant cure for either physical illness or mental distress, but such places facilitate relaxation, providing opportunity for lowering cortisol levels in the sympathetic nervous system that cause symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Stress hormones can compromise immune system defences  and scientific studies have shown that cortisol levels are lowered when time is spent in nature, particularly in tree-filled environments.

We accept referrals on a case to case basis. We recommend a minimum 12 week prescription model, to facilitate incremental benefits to health and wellbeing experienced through attending sessions.

The scope of our work has so far embraced: