A woodland path, a garden or a stretch of shoreline can offer more than a change of scenery during a therapeutic session. In their newly released book EcoSensory Therapy: The Transformative Power of Nature, Claire Pemrick, Matt Slavin and Chris West explain how practitioners can work with natural environments through a structured eight-part model rather than treating the outdoors as an optional backdrop.
Published by Routledge on October 9, 2026, the book sets out the EcoSensory Therapy Model of Practice for professionals in mental health, health care, social care and education. Its central concern is practical: how can someone move a therapeutic or developmental activity into nature while still attending to safety, ethics, sensory needs and the purpose of the work?
The authors organize their approach around eight elements: Ground, Connect, Rhythm, Discover, Attend, Create, Nourish and Reflect. Each has a dedicated place in the model, giving practitioners a sequence of considerations rather than a fixed list of outdoor exercises. Grounding and connection establish the initial focus; later elements invite attention to discovery, creativity, nourishment and reflection.
That distinction matters. An outdoor session might involve movement, quiet observation or making something from materials already present, but the model asks practitioners to think about what the person needs and how the surroundings affect the interaction. The authors discuss sensory integration, attachment, trauma-informed work and psychological regulation as part of that decision-making process. The book presents an evidence-informed framework, not a claim that simply spending time outside can replace established care.
Pemrick and West are consultant occupational therapists, while Slavin is a clinical psychologist. Their different professional backgrounds shape the book’s emphasis on using nature purposefully across settings and client groups. Pemrick founded the Jump Start Centre; West works with people who have experienced developmental trauma; and Slavin examines the relationship between human adaptation and contemporary environments.
The chapters give the model some texture. Rhythm considers seasonal patterns, timing and the pace of an interaction. Attend explores the place of attention in outdoor practice, while Create looks at opportunities for imaginative engagement. Reflect addresses meaning-making, awareness and the personal significance people may find in nature. These are presented as areas for professional judgment, not universal prescriptions.
The 174-page volume includes theoretical discussion, examples and guidance intended to help practitioners translate ideas into sessions. The founders also maintain an EcoSensory training pathway, but the new publication offers a distinct, book-length account of the model and the thinking behind it.
For readers considering nature-based practice, the most concrete contribution is the eight-element structure: a way to ask not only where an encounter takes place, but what happens there and why.
Source: Routledge
Web: https://www.routledge.com/EcoSensory-Therapy-The-Transformative-Power-of-Nature/Pemrick-Slavin-West/p/book/9781041310822
