Clinical Social Work – When Nature Takes Over – Outdoor Therapy Programs with Digital Support

“When Nature Takes Over – Outdoor Therapy Programs with Digital Support”
Session: Digital Networking and Nature-Based Therapy at the Intersection of Clinical Care, Daily Life, and Aftercare (Christiane THIESEN/ ATI)

Outdoor therapy programs lasting several weeks are well-established internationally, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and are also gaining increasing prominence in Europe. These programs harness the unique benefits of spending time in nature: in forests, mountains, or near bodies of water, they help strengthen self-efficacy, resilience, social skills, and emotional regulation. Research in recent years has shown that experiences in forests and nature can reduce depressive symptoms and anxiety and have a positive effect on stress regulation and well-being (Siah et al., 2023; Liu et al., 2023; Jessen et al., 2025). Large epidemiological studies also show that access to green spaces significantly reduces the risk of mental health disorders—particularly among socially disadvantaged groups (Zhang et al., 2024; Xian et al., 2024).
However, the effectiveness of intensive nature programs faces the challenge of sustainability: After several weeks in nature, participants return to stressful life contexts. This is where hybrid models come in: Digital online support makes it possible to maintain therapeutic relationships, reflect on progress, and prevent relapses. At the same time, it facilitates interprofessional collaboration between youth services, clinics, and outpatient care.
For professionals, this means new challenges: they need expertise not only in designing outdoor settings but also in digital counseling and process support. Training and continuing education must therefore integrate both areas and develop quality standards for hybrid settings.
This session presents practical examples from Europe and invites discussion on how to professionally combine analog depth and digital sustainability to make clinical social work future-proof.

Congress „Clinical Social Work“ (Swiss) | German
June 11-12, 2026 | University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW)