Wilderness Reflections staff provide 1-1, field-based mentorship to clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sessions are held in natural settings within an hour of the Bay. Phone sessions or longer programs outside of the Bay are also possible by arrangement.
For some clients, mainstream talk therapy is not the right “fit.” Nature-based Mentoring is an educational and therapeutic alternative to therapy. Knowing more about one’s natural surroundings and being able to connect with Nature more deeply and meaningfully can lead to increased self-confidence, sense of belonging, relaxation and joy. Indeed, this approach to nurturing the soul dates back many millennia to our origins in small hunter-gatherer communities.
In our nature-based mentoring work, we blend therapeutic goals with time shared in local wild places, and, depending on the preferences of the mentee, can include instruction in wilderness skills, nature awareness, outdoor recreation, animal tracking, primitive skills, etc. This is a particularly good match for youth and adults returning from wilderness programs who find that the success they experienced in their wilderness program is hard to integrate into their daily life and/or that traditional therapy does not encompass the depth and breadth of their experience.
Nature-based mentoring can also be a powerful way to deepen the positive effects of psychotherapy or ecotherapy and is a great compliment to couples or family therapy as well. We offer nature-based mentoring outings as a supplemental, collaborative service to people working with therapists or mental health practitioners.
Formats include:
1-1 sessions lasting 2, 4, or 8 hours, as well as overnights and multi-day wilderness-based programs.
Programs for families or groups can also be custom-designed to fit a mentees specific needs. Sessions or longer programs can be local in the San Francisco Bay Area or elsewhere around the country.
Contact us for more information.
