Main description:

This innovative book examines how family health and well-being have been impacted by increased alienation from the natural world and calls for greater incorporation of ecological issues into therapeutic practice. Positioning environmental activism as a critical social justice issue, the book highlights the unique opportunities for family therapists to promote reconnection, healing, and sustainability by integrating attention to nature and the environment into their work. Contributors also recommend clinical ideas, strategies, and interventions that can be employed as part of this approach to therapy, research, and teaching.

Among the topics covered:

Developmental benefits of childhood experiences with nature

Applications of indigenous healing methods in Western practice

Wilderness and adventure therapy immersion

Clinical, educational, and supervisory applications of an eco-informed approach to therapy

The first work of its kind to address the overlap in environmental and family sustainability in the field of family therapy, Eco-Informed Practice: Family Therapy in an Age of Ecological Peril fills a significant gap in family therapy literature. Students and professionals in mental health fields will find this book an enlightening perspective on family therapy as well as a set of useful guidelines for implementing this exciting new approach in clinical practice.

Contents:

Introduction.- What is An Eco-Informed Approach to Family Therapy?.- Evaluating How Mental, Physical and Relational Health Are Tied to Ecological Issues.- Eco-Informed Couple and Family Therapy, Systems Thinking and Social Justice.- Children and Nature.- Clinical Applications of an Eco-Informed Approach to Therapy: A Systemic Perspective.- Wilderness and Adventure Therapy Immersion.- Indigenous Healing: Mental Health and the Path of the Condor.- Family Therapy and Eco-Activism.- Incorporating an Eco-Informed Orientation into Family Therapy Education.