Restoring Connectedness in and to Nature: Three Nordic Examples of Recontextualizing Family Therapy to the Outdoors

Abstract

Mentalization-based family therapy and family rehabilitation represent a rich variety of approaches for assisting families with difficult interaction patterns. On the other hand, adventure therapy methods have been successfully used with families to offer them empowering experiences of succeeding together against difficult odds and to improve communication between family members. Further, the health promoting qualities of spending time outdoors are now well established and recognized. The Nordic approach to mentalization-based family rehabilitation combines adventure, outdoor, and systemic therapy. We provide three examples of nature-based family rehabilitation practices that are delivered as brief, multi-family psychological interventions taking place in nearby nature and aiming to support sustainable, systemic change. The current contribution is a description of clinical practice, not a systematic review or a formal evaluation. We propose that recontextualizing mentalization-based family rehabilitation to the outdoors can not only provide added health benefits, but also strengthen intra-familial attuned interaction and emotional connectedness. The outdoor adventure provides the families with embodied, multisensory experiences of verbal and, especially, non-verbal interaction that can be usefully examined through the lens of theory of mentalization. The concreteness of adventure experiences is particularly beneficial for families that have difficulties in verbal communication and/or utilizing executive functions, perhaps due to neuropsychiatric traits, intellectual disabilities, or learning difficulties. Furthermore, outdoor adventure can support the participants’ connectedness to nature.

Exploring the impact of nature connectedness on well-being among urban youth from 25 mostpopulated cities in India

“…Data was collected from urban youth (age group [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] residing in the 25 most populated cities in India, exploring their residential exposure to nature through access to green or blue spaces around their residence. The online survey was administered in January 2024.…”

“…Stress reduction interventions, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, had greater positive effects on mental health and well-being when conducted outdoors in a natural environment than indoors 22 . Different outdoor activities in nature also help families grow stronger bonds and become closer 23 . Undergraduate students tend to establish identities with themselves, their attitudes, and nature; forming a balanced triadic structure of implicit environmental identity 24 .…”

The impact of mindfulness therapy combined with mentalization-based family therapy on suicidal ideation in adolescents with depressive disorder: randomized intervention study

“…Psychotherapy was originally aimed at treating borderline personality disorders [ 27 ], but now it is used to treat various types of mental disorders such as depression, eating disorders, drug abuse, and other types of personality disorders [ 11 ]. Mentalization-based therapy (MBT) was initially developed for adults with borderline personality disorder [ 12 ], and subsequent studies by Griffiths et al [ 13 ] and Bo et al [ 14 ] have demonstrated its positive effects on suicidal ideation in adolescents with depression. Mindfulness, widely practiced in Buddhism, can be conceptualized as a specific form of focus [ 15 , 16 ].…”