Nature-based art therapy: supporting children's emotional regulation and responses to the climate crisis

Abstract

Background This paper describes nature-based art therapy sessions with three young people. Considering their relationships with the environment and responses to the climate crisis, sessions aimed to provide support for children’s emotional regulation.Context During a time of climate change, art therapy sessions took place in a major city in Scotland and in school, community hub, and outdoor settings.Approach The sessions took an integrative art therapy approach. Young people’s broader circumstances and emotional experiences were considered through ecological and nature-based perspectives.Outcomes The illustrated vignettes provide examples of nature-based art therapy to support emotional regulation and children’s responses to the climate crisis.Conclusions Art therapy supported children and young people to increase their resilience and capacity to regulate affect through exploration of their experiences of the natural world and climate change.Implications for Research There is a need for future research to build a better understanding of the impacts of nature-based art therapies with vulnerable young people. Additionally, it is pertinent to explore therapy alongside other psychological distress, pro-environmental behaviours, and safeguarding issues.Plain-language summary This paper describes art therapy sessions with three different young people. Art therapy sessions took place in a school, community hub, and outdoors. The art therapist worked with young people to help with their emotional concerns by focusing on nature and climate change themes identified by the young people. The three examples in this paper show how nature-based art therapy sessions can improve children’s ability to cope with emotional and environmental challenges. Further research on the impact of nature-based art therapy with children is needed during the climate crisis.

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