November 2024 - For what seemed like from the very first meeting in August, one of Dr. Noell Rowan’s Master of Social Work classes repeatedly requested to be taken on a forest therapy or forest bathing nature walk. After Dr. Rowan recently became certified in forest therapy, her students were eager to experience forest bathing/therapy and apply it to learning about using a wide variety of theories to human behavior in the social environment. Toward the end of the semester and once the required work was completed, Dr. Rowan took the interested students to the on-campus Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve for an optional brief introduction to forest therapy.
Forest therapy is a practice that began in Japan to improve health by immersion in nature, particularly in a forest environment for health benefits to counteract much of our time spent indoors behind computers and electronic devices. Social Work students and professionals are among many who spend countless hours indoors dealing with assignments, papers, and complex ethical dilemmas, and can benefit from the health benefits of forest bathing or therapy.
Tiana Blanding said of the experience, “Not only was it a great way to end the busy semester, but it reminded me just how much nature can do for a person. I felt grounded, connected, and just lighter overall. My soul needed that. I enjoyed learning new things and ways this could be incorporated in practice.”
“It was a great way to end the semester by enjoying the outdoors, connect with my classmates, and learn how nature can foster mental, emotional, and physical well-being,” Staley Temple said. “I’m excited to explore more about how this can promote mindfulness and holistic health in today's fast-paced world."
This article has the following tags: School of Social Work Academics College of Health & Human Services Students & Alumni