International Conference on Forest Therapy | Nature and Health Speakers
The second International Conference on Forest Therapy will be held at the University of British Columbia from August 9-11. This conference offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in Vancouver’s stunning natural landscapes while connecting with internationally acclaimed experts.
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Taming the Anxious Brain with Nature in Mind
Interest in the new frontier of nature-informed mental health has amplified in recent years. Nature-informed (psycho)therapy explores nature-based methods of psychological healing, grounded in the belief that the natural world has profound mental health benefits, especially for anxiety and stress related challenges.
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Exploring Personalized Virtual Nature as a Tool for People Living with Severe COPD Featuring Olivia McAnirlin
Olivia McAnirlin (she/her) is a fourth year Ph.D. Candidate in the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) program and the Lab Manager of Clemson’s Virtual Reality and Nature (VRN) Lab. Her research interests include studying the psychological and physiological impacts of nature and virtual reality, as well as using virtual reality as a form of storytelling.
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Get Outside! Using Natural Environments to Support College Student Wellbeing: From Research to Practice Featuring Laura Allen, Ph.D. and Courtney Crim, Ed.D.
Laura Allen, PhD is a Professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where she has taught since 1994. Her expertise includes child and adolescent development, emerging adulthood, and curriculum development.
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Nature-Based Well-Being Interventions: Grounded in Evidence Featuring Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore
Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Concordia University of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. Additionally, Holli-Anne is the Director of the Nature—Meaning in Life (NMIL) Research Lab, an Editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing, Science Chair of the Spirituality and Meaning Division of the International Positive Psychology Association, and an invited academic with the Global Wellbeing Initiative (a partnership between the Gallup World Poll and the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation).
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Wild Grief: Go Outside, Go Together, Go Through It Featuring Karen Kirsch
Karen Kirsch, MA is a registered Somatic Movement Therapist with a Masters in Somatic Psychology. Karen has been working in the field of childhood grief for 12 years as a facilitator of children’s groups and served as coordinator of the SoundCareKids grief program for 10 months.
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Processing Ecological Grief Through Poetry Featuring Jessica Gigot
Jessica Gigot is a poet, farmer, and coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. Her second book of poems, Feeding Hour, won a Nautilus Award and was a finalist for the 2021 Washington State Book Award.
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Health Equity and Nature During COVID-19
On April 28, 2021 Dr. Jennifer D. Roberts and Dr. Gail C. Christopher joined us as guest speakers to discuss structural racism at the intersections of #BlackLivesMatter, COVID-19, health equity, and nature.
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Stepping into the Healing Power of Nature
When former collegiate athlete and competitive skydiver Sydney Williams unexpectedly found herself on the receiving end of a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, while grappling with unresolved trauma from a decades-old sexual assault, she set out on a mission: turn her pain into power.
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Beyond Inclusive Design: Creating a Welcoming, Accessible, Nature-Based Park
Public parks define our neighborhoods and shape our communities, yet too few are holistically designed to be inclusive and even fewer in a nature-based setting. On February 10, 2021, founders of The Eli’s Park Project shared their roles in designing a welcoming, accessible and nature-based park for all at Burke-Gilman Playground Park in Seattle.
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