Nurture in Nature Dramatherapy

21/12/2025

Happy winter solstice

I hope you get the rest you deserve and need at this time of year. 🕯️ 🌒 🔥
The light shall return

19/12/2025

Blessed Yuletide greetings 🌲🎄

I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who walks alongside Nurture in Nature Dramatherapy. Thank you for all that you have brought, shared, and trusted within this space over the past year. It has been a year of profound shifts for so many of you, and you have met those changes with courage, curiosity, and a willingness to let growth unfold in its own time.

As I now retreat into my own winter burrow for the coming weeks, I want to share a piece of wisdom that has gently supported me in softening into this season, drawn from the book Wintering.

The buds on trees and plants do not form in winter in preparation for spring. They are already created during the warmer months. Winter is not a time of outward growth, but of pausing and turning inward — where attention returns to the roots and the core: to rest, to reflect, to recover, and to repair.

There is no expectation here to keep giving, striving, or achieving right now. This season invites kindness towards yourself and care for your most basic needs. Rest is not a luxury — it is part of the cycle. You are allowed this time of stillness.
Botanic & Wild

26/11/2025

If you’re NOT autistic, ADHD or whatever else…congratulations, your brain works like a pond!
All of the things you do each day are like lily pads, and they float close together on the surface.

So, for example, since the “chores” and “hobbies” lily pads are side by side,
once you’ve finally assembled that Lego set,
you can easily hop over to that pile of dirty dishes without falling in the water.

Unfortunately, if you ARE neurodivergent, your brain is a lake, not a pond.

In lake-brains, the lily pads are farther apart, meaning in order to switch tasks,
you need to cover more cognitive surface area.

You gotta:
▪️Notice when you’re done or are needing to be done.

▪️Mentally detach from the thoughts, momentum, and sensory input from the first task.

▪️Identify what’s next and what it requires

▪️And then get your body to actually initiate the process

Each of those steps uses mental energy (planning, redirecting attention, stopping one thought pattern and starting another.)

For neurotypical people, a lot of those steps happen in the background automatically.

But when you have a lake brain, every time you need to switch tasks, you’re mentally fighting to keep your head above water.

I wish I had a magic solution, but my overall point is, understanding this cognitive difference is the first step in giving yourself, and others, a bit more patience. 💚

10/11/2025

I have just come back from the outdoor therapy conference in Wales. And what a conference it was so much insight so much knowledge and so much connection forever grateful thank you the environmental art therapists for all of their knowledge and wisdom to create a wonderful workshop that has left me feeling grounded and renewed.

03/11/2025

No wonder so many of us are exhausted!
I described it as the Pandora’s box, once we go in and discover we are both looking back, and forward at the same time! X

Millennials are reshaping parenting and personal growth like never before

Sociologists and psychologists are observing a fascinating trend: millennials may be the first generation to actively reparent themselves while also raising their own children. Reparenting means addressing and healing the emotional wounds, habits, and limiting beliefs carried from one’s own childhood. Unlike previous generations, millennials are combining this self-work with the responsibilities of parenthood, creating a unique dynamic in family life.

This dual journey has profound implications. By confronting unresolved childhood issues while nurturing their kids, millennials are breaking cycles of trauma and promoting healthier emotional development for both themselves and their children. Traditional parenting often focused solely on raising children, sometimes neglecting the parent’s own emotional growth. Now, self-awareness, therapy, and intentional personal development are becoming central to the parenting experience.

Experts suggest this trend could reshape how society views family, mental health, and emotional intelligence. Children growing up with parents who are actively healing and evolving may develop stronger resilience, empathy, and communication skills. At the same time, millennials are redefining adulthood itself, proving that growth, self-discovery, and parenting can happen simultaneously.

This phenomenon is more than a cultural shift—it is a powerful experiment in human development. It reminds us that healing ourselves can directly benefit future generations and that parenting is not just about teaching, but also about learning and evolving alongside our children. Millennials are showing the world that emotional growth and family life can coexist in unprecedented ways, inspiring new perspectives on what it means to thrive in today’s complex world.

24/10/2025

In Estonia, education is blending seamlessly with nature through the creation of forest classrooms — open-air learning spaces nestled among trees and powered by solar energy. These classrooms are built directly into woodland environments, offering students a direct connection to the outdoors while supporting year-round education in a sustainable, low-impact setting.

The setup includes semi-sheltered wooden platforms, benches carved from tree trunks, and durable windproof whiteboards mounted under simple overhead canopies. Designed to withstand the elements, the classrooms make use of locally sourced timber and natural terrain. Solar panels provide enough energy to power basic devices, charge tablets, and light the space during darker months — ensuring functionality without needing access to the main grid.

These forest schools are particularly popular in rural and eco-conscious communities, where education is not just about curriculum, but also about instilling environmental values and resilience. Lessons can range from science and literature to forest ecology and crafts — all delivered with birdsong and rustling leaves as the background soundtrack.

Students benefit from increased concentration, physical activity, and reduced stress when learning outdoors, and teachers adapt their methods to include more experiential and hands-on activities. Some sites also integrate rainwater collection systems and compost toilets to complete the cycle of self-sufficiency.

Estonia’s forest classrooms reflect a powerful philosophy — that learning doesn’t need four walls, and sustainability can be woven into every corner of education.

20/10/2025

15/10/2025

Reminders

11/10/2025

10/10/2025

World 🌍 mental health day

I’ve chosen to share three photos that represent some important lessons I’ve learnt since September this year.
The first photo of all of the animals have a ‘sauna’ is a photo of a moment my daughter shared with me after complete burnout in the third week of the term. She took a mental health day at home and created a spa for some of her cuddly toys, telling me how important it was to rest and feel looked after. This was a huge moment for all of us, to give permission to accept that having a mental health day to look after basic needs, is so impactful and important.

The second photo is based on perspective, seeing my family and clients take risks everyday. Whether it’s managing the risk of a transition to trying something new or to look up and feel grounded at where we currently are. Mental health can be affected by the risks we take, in both positive and negative ways. This photo shows how some risks can lead to much higher places and also shows that for some of us it’s time to ground.🌳

The third photo is of delicious wholesome food. Something that took time to prepare, and extremely nourishing to eat. It is with the change of season I feel grateful for stews, soups and broths, taken from the root vegetables that are seasonable for the time of year. I’ve been thankful for nature reminding me of the changes.

Autumn is well and truly here and nature is creating colours and beauty in a dance of abundance before the winter glisten cascades in.
It’s a time of reflection, to let go, to set free.
It’s a message that it’s a time to just be.

04/10/2025

It is the first school of its kind in the county 👀

A new primary school dedicated to making the outdoors its classroom has opened on a new estate being built in Leicestershire.

Read more: https://bbc.in/46ICdfg

22/09/2025

Happy equinox! Autumn 🍂 is here!
This time of year is a great time to reflect on where we have been this year. But also to pace ourselves about how much we take on.
As we look at nature, it is letting go. It’s focusing on the roots by letting go of what no longer serves its needs.
So I wonder, 💭 what is it you need to let go of?
🍁 overwhelming workload?
🍁 toxic environments
🍁 dare I say it, screen 🖥️ time 🕰️

And if you let go, what does the new space allow? Hopefully-
💚 self care
💚 space to breathe
💚 kindness to your body and mind