Presentation by Connie Habash, LMFT
Includes 3 CEUs for LMFTs, LEPs, LSCWs and LPCCs
Nature immersion is a deeply healing, transformative experience for many of us. Recent studies affirm this, showing that mindful time spent outdoors can profoundly increase our well-being. There are physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual benefits to time spent in nature. It slows us down, returns us to the present moment, soothes our nervous system, shifts our perspective, and connects us to something larger than our individual selves.
Ecotherapy is a process of healing and transformation through connection with the natural world. Although it is usually done outdoors, Ecotherapy can also be brought inside the counseling office in a variety of ways. Through experiential, metaphorical, and conceptual ways, nature can inform and guide therapy sessions, sometimes with surprising synchronicities. Being outdoors in nature offers us unique insights, growth, and renewal that aren’t available inside the four walls of our offices or online.
Join us in an afternoon of Ecotherapy, where you will experience these gifts of “nature as the co-therapist”, supporting your journey of healing and growth, and learn applications for clients in your own therapy practice, both indoors and outside.
Program Goals
The goal of this program is for participants to be able to understand what Ecotherapy is, its benefits to clients, appropriate client populations to practice ecotherapy with, how to create a meaningful Ecotherapy experience, safety and legal concerns with Ecotherapy, and practical applications of Ecotherapy techniques indoors and outdoors. Experiential exercises in nature will be the focal point of this workshop.
Learning Objectives
After attending this course, participants will be able to...
- Name at least 3 benefits of Ecotherapy
- Explain the difference between "Walk and Talk" therapy and Ecotherapy
- Identify safety considerations for outdoor practice of Ecotherapy
- Conceptualize at least 2 indoor Ecotherapy practices
- Know how to structure an Ecotherapy session in nature and identify at least 2 outdoor Ecotherapy practices
About the Presenter
Rev. Connie L. Habash, MA, LMFT, Ecotherapist, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, yoga & meditation teacher, interfaith minister, and author of Awakening from Anxiety: A Spiritual Guide to Living a More Calm, Confident, and Courageous Life. Connie graduated from the Transpersonal Counseling Psychology program at JFK University in 1994 and became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1999, integrating body, mind, heart, and spirit in her work with individuals, couples, and groups.
Her love of nature and ecotherapy began with programs through Gaia Passages at the Artemis Wilderness Camp, and the Art of Mentoring with 8 Shields Institute since 2014. Deep nature connection quickly became a foundation of her classes, workshops, and retreats, and she subsequently completed her Level 1 &2 Ecotherapy Certificates with Ariana Candell through The Earthbody Institute. She currently teaches their Level 1 online course.
Connie is passionate about personal growth, healing, and deepening spirituality through nature. She creates a nurturing space to awaken, grow, and serve the planet in her online community, Awakening Women of the Earth (AWE), as well as her other online programs, psychotherapy practice, in-person retreats, workshops, and Ecotherapy sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Discover more at her website: https://www.AwakeningSelf.com/
TARGET AUDIENCE: LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, LEPs
If you miss any of the presentation, you will not be eligible for the CEUs. SCV-CAMFT is a CAMFT-approved continuing education provider (CEPA 052466). This course meets the qualifications of 3 continuing education credit for LMFTs, LPCCs, LEPs and/or LCSWs.
The views expressed in presentations made at SCV-CAMFT meetings or events are those of the speaker and not, necessarily, of SCV-CAMFT. Presentations at SCV-CAMFT events do not constitute an endorsement of the vendor or speaker's views, products or services.
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