Outdoor mental health interventions & outdoor therapy; a statement of good practice (version 2)

Health, well-being and self-development has been a cornerstone of the impact and value of outdoor learning practices for many decades. Over recent years, we have seen an exponential growth in therapeutic outdoor initiatives and programmes being developed and utilised for mental health and well-being benefits. Traditional terms such as adventure therapy, wilderness therapy, nature therapy and outdoor counselling, have more recently been joined with a plethora of wider terms, such as eco-therapy, forest bathing, and a Natural Health Service, to name a few. All of these terms are taking claim to some kind of health benefit (physical or psychological) for getting outdoors. This Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL) statement purposefully sets out a view on competence when combining mental health and well-being interventions with outdoor learning: o The primary goal was to develop a model that could support organisations and individuals who provide and utilise services for mental health and well-being in an outdoor setting. The statement has been strongly informed by mapping current practice in the UK. o It has been created to ensure that those engaging outdoor learning services to improve mental health and well-being can do so with confidence and trust in what they are offered.