Do I Need a License to Practice Ecotherapy?

© 2021 Linda Buzzell

When you’re on your own or with your family and friends, of course no license is needed to engage in various kinds of ecotherapy or nature immersion practices.

But what if you want to guide others professionally in one or more of the many ecotherapeutic activities or practices? There are two ways you can do this:

Within an existing profession. Every profession has its norms, ethics and “best practices” and some also have licenses, registration, educational standards and even insurance requirements. If you’re a medical professional, a licensed psychotherapist or counselor, an educator, coach, social worker, parks professional, movement, art or occupational therapist, a member of clergy or some other recognized occupation, the first thing to do is to find out if any others in your profession have started including indoor or outdoor ecotherapy practices in their work.

If so, these colleagues will know what the possibilities or limitations may be and hopefully you can work together to expand the range of nature therapies that can be included in your healing, educational or leadership work. If no one else in your field has yet explored the possibilities and benefits that nature therapy can bring to patients, clients or students, you’re the lucky pioneer! Please find support from those in allied professions who can guide and support you as you introduce ecotherapy to your workplace.

The advantage of this route is that there are existing norms, guidelines, ethics and best practices already established. The challenge is that some fields have entrenched anthropocentric theoretical, educational and professional requirements that may limit innovation and creativity.

Outside of an existing profession. If you would like to guide others (individually or in groups) in various ecotherapy or nature connection practices as a guide, teacher, ecospiritual practitioner or community leader, outside the scope of any existing professional identity or license, that is possible as well. But you will need to find or develop a code of ethics and best practices to protect your clients (and yourself) as you do this work. Joining with others who practice various ecotherapies and exploring the various benefits, limitations and risks of nature connection endeavors is the wisest way forward. We all learn from each other as we do this pioneering work. It’s also important to know what terms are controlled by law in your country or area. For instance, in some places the words “therapy” and “counseling” cannot be used outside of specific licensed professions.

The advantage of this route is that you’re free to be innovative and creative and are not up against centuries of entrenched professional limitations. The challenge is that you’re a pioneer in inventing a new profession!

Whichever path you choose – licensed or unlicensed – please keep in mind that every nature therapist will need special education in ecotherapy as a field, plus specific training in the type of ecotherapy practice you focus on (e.g. working with horses, gardening, white water rafting, outdoor meditation, guiding hikes, etc.) plus first aid outdoor emergency safety training. It's also important to be aware of psychological and cultural issues that determine whether or not ecotherapy is a good fit for a particular client or group at this time. I encourage every ecotherapist to gain understanding of the psychology of trauma and the recommended ways of helping people process eco-anxiety, eco-grief and climate trauma. In fact, as climate conditions worsen, we all may find ourselves to be First Responders if our community suffers from disasters like wildfire, floods, heat stress or freezing conditions.