Practice & Methodology
Under the heading “Practice & Methodology” you will find contributions from practitioners in the field of applied methodology and practice.
Practitioners are people who work in the fields of rehabilitation, therapy, education, psychiatry and related fields.
Practice contributions can focus on the implementation of a measure or the handling of a topic in an individual institution, with a specific target group or on a specific topic.
Here you will find contributions that take a more general perspective on the topic in question, making reference to relevant professional literature and discussions (without thereby claiming to be a research paper).
-
This article presents a metaphor based on therapeutic intentionality that has utility for both adventure and nature-based therapists and outdoor leaders, though each group may use it differently. Clinically trained therapists can apply the construct directly in their work; the metaphor is compatible with many evidence-based methods and therapeutic approaches, but is perhaps most relevant to those that are insight oriented. Outdoor leaders, on the other hand, can use this construct to increase their understanding of the therapeutic processes they may observe, and sometimes be asked to be a part of, when working in therapeutic programs and to better recognize the critical distinctions between clinically trained therapists and outdoor leaders who may facilitate therapeutic experiences. This understanding helps outdoor leaders recognize appropriate boundaries of their competence, thus clarifying what falls within their scope of practice and what requires clinical training and possibly specialized credentials. -
Kuo (2015) suggested one of the earliest pathways to human health from contact with nature. She postulated that a nature-enhanced immune function was a pathway to healthy outcomes. Chen and Namagawa (2019) imagined six other nature-driven pathways that could impact human health: visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, inhalation, and skin. They believed that affective/motivational, cognitive, and physical health benefits were accrued through actions via several systems: the central nervous, autonomic nervous, endocrine, immune, and microbiota systems. The authors have expanded this hypothetical list to 12 pathways operating across eight dimensions of well-being and impacting primarily through neurotransmitters and hormones. This theoretical conclusion was reached by considering the normal functioning of the human mind and body, by examining the chemicals involved, and by summarizing how these chemical shifts impacted personal health through its composite dimensions of well-being. -
Simon Priest, Ping Liao, Denise Mitten, Christian Itin, Lee Gillis -
Author: Annette Bergmann -
Authors: Thomas Klein-Isberner, Katja Wenzel -
Authors:Priest, S., Gass, M.A., Javorski, S. & Bostick, K.
-
Authors:Simon Priest & Ellen Behrens
-
Author:Simon Priest & Michael A. Gass
