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  • Book Chapter_Nature-based interventions & Mental Health_Authors Copy

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Untangling nature-based Interventions’ influences on participants’ mental wellbeing: Critiquing 'nature on prescription'

Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSNChapter

Published
Publication date20/11/2024
Host publicationRoutledge Handbook on Spaces of Mental Health and Wellbeing
EditorsCandice P. Boyd, Louise E. Boyle, Sarah L. Bell, Ebba Högström, Joshua Evans, Alak Paul, Ronan Foley
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherRoutledge
Pages108-119
Number of pages12
Edition1st
ISBN (electronic)9781003345725
ISBN (print)9781032385761
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Nature-based interventions integrate nature through facilitated, structured and regular activities to co-create active therapeutic processes. The prescribing of nature-based interventions is a growing area of social prescribing informed by a developing evidence-base linking exposure and engagement with nature to improved emotional regulation and processing for both children and adults. Three core components have been identified as characterising nature-based interventions, including: nature; meaningful activity; and social interaction. There is a wealth of research highlighting the efficacy of nature-based interventions, related to the core components, in supporting short-term changes to mental wellbeing. However, there are limited follow-up studies, so there is uncertainty regarding the sustainability of benefits. This focus on the short-term has also meant that whilst the affective characteristics of nature-based interventions have been described and attributed to improvements in participants’ wellbeing, less attention has been turned to how nature-based interventions co-create these beneficial effects. As such, we recommend engaging with psychological theories of therapeutic processes to expand our understanding of the co-creation of therapeutic experiences at nature-based interventions. Specifically, how participants’ experiences can go beyond in-the-moment respite and recovery to co-create transformational experiences that have long-term effects on participants’ wellbeing. This involves shifting focus onto the influence of two key actants, facilitators and participants, who have often been neglected in research studies.