Ethical Guidelines

 

We have developed a set of Ethical Principles that serve as a binding framework for professional practice in Adventure, Nature and Outdoor Therapy.

These principles apply to all therapists and professionals working within or on behalf of the Adventure Therapy Institute (ATI) and the Institute for Adventure, Outdoor and Nature Therapy GmbH & Co. KG.

The Ethical Principles define the professional standards for:

  • responsible therapeutic practice
  • the protection of clients
  • professional integrity and transparency
  • safe, respectful, and effective work in nature- and experience-based settings

They form the foundation for quality, trust, and professionalism across all ATI programs, services, and training pathways.

ONE HEALTH

ATI’s experiential, nature, and outdoor therapy professionals put the WHO’s One Health approach into practice by using human-nature relationships for mental and physical health, recognizing nature as a co-therapist,  and  promoting healthy, sustainable living spaces. They provide support and thus become a methodological building block of a holistic health strategy in the sense of the WHO.

Through this approach, they enable, promote, use and create

  • They enable the direct, sensual experience of nature, which reduces stress and strengthens self-regulation.
  • Promote the embodied experience: movement, perception, emotion and relationship are intertwined.
  • Use the ecological conditions as therapeutically effective experiential spaces (forest, mountains, water).
  • Strengthen social connectedness and resilience, as central components of the One Health approach.
  • Create a closeness to nature that is a prerequisite for sustainable behavior and healthy living spaces.

🌿 When Nature becomes part of the therapeutic process, deep change becomes possible. 🌿

When Nature and Experiential experiences becomes part of the therapeutic process, deep change becomes possible.

Why ethical standards are essential in Adventure, Nature and Outdoor Therapy

Therapy can only be effective when a strong and trusting relationship exists between clients and therapists. At the same time, people in therapy are in a particularly vulnerable situation: they often experience psychological distress, face challenging life circumstances, and share highly personal topics, emotions, and experiences within the therapeutic space.

This vulnerability is especially significant in Adventure, Nature and Outdoor Therapy, where intensive experiences, physical activity, emotional processes, and close interpersonal engagement are integral parts of the work. Such settings require a particularly high level of ethical awareness and professional responsibility.

For this reason, practitioners in Adventure, Nature and Outdoor Therapy are bound by clearly defined ethical and legal obligations toward their clients, which are set out in this professional code of conduct. It provides the framework for responsible practice, professional quality, and the protection of all participants.

The purpose of this code of conduct is to:

  • ensure a high standard of quality in adventure-, nature- and outdoor-based therapeutic practice,

  • safeguard the special protection of clients,

  • preserve and strengthen trust between clients and professionals,

  • promote professional integrity and conscientious practice,

  • ensure responsibility, clarity, and transparency toward clients,

  • and uphold and strengthen the reputation and credibility of the profession.

These ethical guidelines therefore form a core foundation for safe, professional, and effective practice in Adventure, Nature and Outdoor Therapy.

Download Ethical Guidelines