Clinician Appreciation Day 2023: Introduction to Nature Informed Therapy

Clinician Appreciation Day is an opportunity to gather with fellow clinicians, learn from an expert in the field, and connect over lunch. This year, we are pleased to be back in person and to offer the training "Introduction to Nature Informed Therapy."

8:30 am: Registration and Coffee

9:00 am: Training Begins (see description below)

12:15 pm: Lunch (included in registration)

1:15 pm: Event Ends

Participants will learn evidence based underpinnings and interventions in the field of nature informed therapy. Participants will walk away from the training with a knowledge of evidence based interventions for incorporating nature based therapy with their clients.

Level: Beginner

Learning Objectives

After attending this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand current research in the field of nature informed therapy.

• Assess clients fit for nature informed therapy including how to understand a client's nature autobiography and genealogy

• Administer an Ecological History and Wellness Evaluation

• Apply suitable therapeutic approaches that take into consideration differences in nature exposure/relationship to nature based on difference in clients’ privilege and access to resources; - Apply nature informed interventions in a telehealth session

• Understand how to conduct a Land Acknowledgement and why it is important

• Understand distress tolerance as related to nature and mental health and how this can be used as a tool in anxiety treatment and management

Course Outline

9:00 am - Land acknowledgement and why it is important; scholarly underpinnings for nature informed therapy; current research on nervous system response to nature exposure

10:00 am: Understanding and administering a NIT assessment with a client

10:30 am: Break

10:45 am: Nature informed interventions for urban populations, including telehealth; distress tolerance

11:30 am: Distress tolerance as an intervention with clients

12:00 pm: Case discussion and conclusion

Zoe Jack, LCSW-C is the Director of the Center for Nature Informed Therapy and is a licensed psychotherapist at Chesapeake Mental Health Collaborative. She specializes in nature informed and client centered work with adolescents and adults. As a former wilderness therapy field guide in Utah and a behavior interventionist at a trauma informed school in Vermont, Zoe incorporates the teachings of the natural world into her treatment approach with individuals and groups. Zoe holds her Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland. In her free time, Zoe enjoys training for her next ultramarathon with her husband and her two athletic and goofy dogs.

This course is provided free to current Catholic Charities of Baltimore employees and for a fee to non-employees. Registration and additional information, including cost is available via Eventbrite. Registration closes at noon on May 12, 2023 or when space is full, whichever comes first. Please contact Johanna Miller at [email protected] with any questions, concerns, or requests for special accommodations.

Course Completion & CE Info

Course completion requirements: Participants must attend the entire course and complete a course evaluation to earn CE credit. Certificates of completion will be e-mailed within 10 business days

Associated Catholic Charities (Catholic Charities of Baltimore) is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education learning activities and maintains full responsibility for this program. This training qualifies for 3 hours in Category 1 continuing education units.

Host or Publisher Catholic Charities of Baltimore