Center For Nature Informed Therapy

03/29/2026

Whatever we allow the mind to pay attention to - become the inclinations of our life. See what happens when we notice nature.

03/28/2026

Sometimes, our participants say it better than we ever could. 🌿

Here’s a recent Google review from Diana L., who joined our Nature-Informed Therapy training as part of the Spotted Salamander cohort:

“I can honestly say it was a life-changing experience. I chose to unplug and fully immerse myself, and it allowed me to be truly present for everything the program had to offer.

The learning was experiential, meaningful, and deeply engaging—not your typical training. From mindful walking and sit spots to something as simple and powerful as having lunch with a tree, every moment brought the work to life.

I formed incredible connections with others—especially my ‘Flow State’ group—and I’m leaving not only with tools for my therapy practice, but with a strong, supportive community. If you’ve been curious about integrating nature into your work, this is your invitation. "🌱

03/23/2026

What happens when a surprise spring snowstorm drops temperatures nearly 40 degrees into the 20s—right in the middle of a 2-day outdoor training?

You lean in.

Last week, the Center for Nature Informed Therapy (CNIT) delivered a custom Nature-Informed Resilience & Outdoor Mental Health First Aid training to 20 park rangers from Maryland’s State Park and Forest system at New Germany State Park.

Despite the surprise snowstorm, the group practiced awe walks through a snow-blanketed forest, held facilitated circles outdoors, and explored how nature can serve as a frontline tool for mental wellness—both for themselves and the millions of visitors they serve each year.

The people who protect our public lands deserve tools to protect their own wellbeing. That’s what nature-informed resilience training is all about.

👉 Does your park system or outdoor organization need custom mental health and resilience training? Learn more: https://www.natureinformedtherapy.org/custom-nature-informed-therapy-training

03/20/2026

This spring, step outside and pause with something just beginning to bloom—a cluster of bloodroot, a wildflower pushing through the soil, a bud softening into color.

Take a breath and arrive.
See it as if for the first time—
with fresh eyes, with curiosity, with quiet wonder.

Then, gently shift…
and see it as if this might be the last time you will ever witness it.

Stay there for a moment.
Notice what changes.
Notice what matters.
(Inspired by a conversation with Emily M.) Photo credit to Patty Klein

03/14/2026

Coming Soon

03/14/2026

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/13/it-has-changed-my-life-how-a-dose-of-nature-is-treating-mental-illness

A project in London is helping hundreds of people, providing a genuine alternative to traditional treatments

03/11/2026

Wonderful conversation today at the Outdoor Health Summit in Minneapolis on how nature can support the treatment of anxiety.

One idea that really resonated was the shift from ego-awareness to eco-awareness. Anxiety pulls the mind into future-focused worst-case thinking and rumination. Nature gently interrupts that loop. Research shows time in natural settings can quiet the brain networks linked to rumination and help restore attention.

When we step outside, our awareness widens.
From ego to eco.

03/03/2026

Therapists working with grief… this one is for you.

This grief doesn’t live only in the mind.
It lives in the body.
It lives in relationship.
It lives in the land.

So why are we still earning most of our CEs inside buildings?

This June, we’re stepping outside.

Trails of Healing: Grief-Informed Backpacking Training is a 6-day immersive professional training in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia for grief-informed helping professionals.

🌲 Backpacking 5–7 miles each morning & afternoon learning in nature
🔥 Learning backcountry skills and confidence
🌿 Exploring grief as ecological, relational, and embodied
🧠 Understanding how nature regulates the nervous system and builds capacity for sorrow
🎓 CE credits earned under open sky

No gear or backpacking experience needed!

This training builds that capacity.

June 14–19, 2026
Allegheny Mountains, WV

If you’re ready to stop sitting in fluorescent light and start learning with the mountains:

🔗 https://www.natureinformedtherapy.org/backpacking-grief-training

03/02/2026

Mary Sue McCarthy and I facilitated a deep dive into attachment theory and relational trauma through a Nature-Informed lens. 🌿

One moment that stayed with me: we explored a case of a woman grieving the loss of her mother — and how, over time, she began turning to the natural world for a sense of mothering. The steadiness of trees. The rhythmic holding of the ocean. The quiet reliability of seasons returning.

We reflected on how nature carries qualities of a secure attachment figure — consistency, non-judgment, presence, co-regulation. And how somatic experiencing in nature — feeling the ground, leaning against a tree, tracking breath with the wind — can gently repair what was ruptured in relationship.
Attachment wounds are relational.

So is healing.

Sometimes the secure base is waiting just outside the door. 🌲

02/28/2026

02/26/2026

Last night I spoke at Church of the Redeemer about the rewilding of the human psyche.
Over 100 people showed up. That alone felt meaningful.
We began simply.

As people walked in, they picked up a nature item — a stone, a leaf, a pinecone — and introduced themselves through it.

“If this item could speak for you, what would it say?”
It’s amazing how quickly a room shifts when you do that.

We explored what rewilding means in a culture that pushes speed, comfort, and constant productivity.

Rewilding as: – taking wise risks
– living more simply
– staying with discomfort instead of numbing it
– slowing down
– listening to nature’s rhythm instead of the clock.

And we ended the night singing an acoustic version of Wildflowers by Tom Petty. Just voices together.
“You belong somewhere you feel free.”

It felt like remembering something we already know.
Grateful for this community.

02/26/2026

This Black History Month, we’re holding a simple truth: nature isn’t automatically soothing for everyone. Culture, history, safety, access, and past experiences shape how our nervous system responds.

Nature-Informed Therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. It can begin indoors, locally, and gently—with choice and pacing leading the way.

We’re also reserving more scholarship seats and low-barrier options this season.

If you’re open to sharing: what helps you feel safe enough to exhale outside (or near nature)? We’re listening.