#29 - Outdoor Counselling: What It Is, What to Expect, and Who It's For
Written by Sarah Frustié, Ecotherapist, Forest Guide, Nature Retreat Facilitator and Holistic Counsellor
Sarah Frustié is an ecotherapist, forest guide, nature retreat facilitator and holistic counsellor working between Australia and France. Through nature-based practices, she supports people in caring professions in navigating burnout, easing chronic stress, and reconnecting with the Earth.
You've tried indoor counselling.
Talking therapy.
Inside.
Between four walls.
Four white walls.
A 50-minute session.
There can be a lot of talking. A lot of unpacking. Endless conversations.
But does it work for you?
Do you feel truly held? Truly listened to?
I am not here to put down traditional counselling. I've been there myself, and I still have indoor sessions from time to time. It has its place and has helped many people.
But it doesn't work well for me.
Having to talk through all my experiences (over and over) in a room with a clinician often keeps me in my head, when what I truly need is to come back into my body.
The funny thing is that indoor therapy is often called “traditional therapy”, when really, traditional therapy happened outside.
Amongst the trees.
Under an open sky.
Around the fire.
This is where our ancestors gathered. The whole village sitting together, telling stories, singing, making music, listening deeply to one another, and sharing both joy and sorrow. No one was above or below anyone else. We were part of a community. Part of an ecosystem. Part of the Earth.
I believe that this is where we truly belong.
This is one of the reasons I became an ecotherapist and chose to facilitate my work outdoors through individual counselling sessions, forest bathing experiences, and nature retreats.
It simply feels right.
Less power dynamic.
Less clinical.
More natural.
More holistic.
More community-based.
More ancestral.
More sacred.
So, what is outdoor counselling?
Outdoor counselling, also known as ecotherapy, Walk and Talk Therapy, or nature-based counselling, is simply psychotherapy held outdoors.
The conversation can be at the heart of the therapeutic process, and nature also becomes an active part of the experience.
Instead of sitting face-to-face in an office, we walk together through a forest, a park, or another natural setting, or we simply sit quietly beneath a tree.
You come exactly as you are.
You can talk.
You can walk.
You can sit.
You can be silent.
It is about you and your therapeutic goals.
You do you.
I do the listening.
I am here, holding the space, creating safety, comfort and expansion for you to unfold your story.
Together, we walk alongside your therapeutic journey while the natural world gently becomes our co-therapist.
What can you expect during a session?
Every session is different because every person is different.
Some people spend most of the session talking.
Others find themselves slowing the conversation down, noticing the sounds of birds, the movement of the wind, or the falling leaves around them.
Sometimes nature offers metaphors that words alone cannot.
Sometimes silence becomes just as healing as conversation.
There is no pressure to perform, to have all the answers, or to fill every moment with words.
The pace can naturally slow down, allowing your nervous system to settle and your thoughts to become clearer.
Who is outdoor counselling for?
People come to see me for ecotherapy for many different reasons. We are all different. Yet so similar in many ways. Here are some of the themes we work with.
1. Stress, burnout, and emotional overload
People often say things like: "I feel exhausted all the time." "My mind never stops." "I'm overwhelmed by work and life."
Many of the people I work with spend their lives caring for others and have forgotten how to care for themselves. This is mostly the case when I work with burnt-out professionals, especially people working in the helping industry and roles such as therapists, healers, teachers, nurses, social workers, and support workers. People who give a lot and rarely pause or receive.
2. Feeling disconnected from themselves (and from nature)
Clients sometimes say: "I don't really know who I am anymore.” "I feel numb." "I feel lost."
Outdoor counselling creates space to explore yourself while reconnecting with the living world around you. Ecotherapy is simply a human-nature reconnection.
3. Navigating life transitions
Some people come to see to navigate and explore the following: career changes, relationship endings, becoming a parent, midlife questioning, identity shifts. Major life transitions can leave us feeling uncertain and untethered. Nature and the seasons reminds us that change is not something to fear. It is part of every living cycle.
4. Working with difficult emotions
Much of my work is emotion-based. People come carrying emotions they don't quite know how to hold, e.g., grief, anger, sadness, fear, anxiety, despair, resentment.
Nature offers a gentle and non-judgemental space where these emotions can be witnessed, felt, expressed, and slowly transformed.
5. Loneliness and a lack of belonging
One of the deepest roots of suffering is often the feeling of not belonging.
People might tell me: "I don't feel like I belong anywhere." “Where is home?”
Time in nature gently reminds us that we are already part of something much bigger than ourselves. We belong because we are nature.
6. Wanting a different kind of therapy
Some people have tried traditional indoor counselling and realised it simply wasn't the right fit for them. Or it is not the right fit anymore.
They aren't looking for a replacement.
They're looking for a different experience.
One that feels less clinical.
More spacious.
More embodied.
More connected.
A final thought
You are nature.
We all are.
We are not separate from the natural world; we are part of it.
As I explored in my previous Brainz Magazine articles, spending time outdoors offers many benefits for our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
Outdoor counselling is for everyone.
Just as the Earth welcomes everyone, my practice is built on warmth, compassion, curiosity, and acceptance.
A non-judgemental space where you can simply come as you are.
Perhaps healing doesn't always happen within four walls.
Sometimes, it begins outside. Near the ground. Beneath the trees.
If you’re ready to slow down, reconnect with your wild self, and explore the healing benefits of nature, I offer a free 20-minute phone call to start your path. You can visit mywebsite or email me here.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
Read more from Sarah Frustié
Sarah Frustié, Ecotherapist, Forest Guide, Nature Retreat Facilitator, and Holistic Counsellor
Sarah Frustié is a bilingual ecotherapist, holistic counsellor, and forest guide based in the Adelaide Hills and France. She supports people in caring professions to navigate burnout, release chronic stress and anxiety, and reconnect with themselves through nature-based practices, forest bathing, and guided nature and meditation retreats. With a deep belief in the healing power of the natural world, Sarah blends mindfulness, eco-psychology, trauma-informed, and whole-person approaches to create safe and sacred experiences. She is the founder of Sarah Frustié Therapy, where every session is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and connect with the living world.
