Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

In the United States, children are currently spending six hours or more on average in front of screens. This average is alarmingly high contrasted with the one hour recommended for young children by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Pappas, 2020). Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, these numbers were already on the rise, yet Covid-19 has made it inevitable for many children to spend a higher amount of hours in front of screens. Studies have linked excess screen time with negative effects on motor, cognitive, social, emotional, and language development as well as causing behavioral problems (Oswald, 2020). In contrast, studies have found that spending time in nature has benefits related to motor, psychosocial, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral areas (Harper, 2019).

Children’s motor skills involve an active learning process. This process tends to occur organically during play, especially for preschool-age children. During this period, children are experiencing many physical changes and are developing essential motor skills (Berk, 2004; Minuci, 2019). Unfortunately, children are spending less time playing and being active, meaning that they are doing fewer activities that help them develop essential motor skills (Oswald, 2020). Fortunately, fields such as art therapy and ecotherapy have theories and tools that can help in the area of skill development and deficit prevention for children’s motor skills.

Judith Rubin (2009) believes that the source of art therapy lies in the natural world. This idea of a connection between art and the natural world seems to resonate with other therapists as well. Many art therapists integrate nature-based practices such as the use of natural materials to create art. In addition to the integration of art therapy and ecotherapy, which seems to evolve organically in the practices of some therapists, there is already a movement to integrate the two formally both in practice and academia. Books such as Eco-Art Therapy Creative Activities that Let Earth Teach by Theresa Sweeney, Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy by Sally Atkins, Environmental Expressive Therapies by Kopytin and Rugh, and Eco-Art Therapy in Practice by Amanda Alders Pike address the integration of both the expressive and natural therapy practices.

The practices of art therapy and ecotherapy have both been established since the 1990s, the combination of these however is more recent. Art therapy is a therapy form that uses art as the central component in the therapeutic process. For Margaret Neumemberg, “mother of art therapy” art was a form of non-verbal communication and a path to the unconscious (Gussack, 2016). For Edith Kramer, another matriarch of the field, the creative process itself was healing (Gussack, 2016).

Ecotherapy is an umbrella term that encompasses different nature-based therapies. Ecotherapy is referred to as applied ecopsychology, here the interventions and techniques used emphasize the reciprocal relationship of humans and nature (Delaney, 2020). In 1996, Howard Clinebell defined ecotherapy as healing and growth nurtured by healthy interactions with the earth (Buzzel, 2010). The union of them is known as nature-based expressive arts or artecotherapy. Nature-based expressive arts expand the notion of arts in service of life to encompass all life forms and the earth itself (Atkins, 2017).

Research shows that ecotherapy practices have helped in the treatment of anxiety, depression, stress, learning difficulties, and pain management (Segal et al., 2020, p. 100). Studies conducted in schools with outdoor classroom programs showed exposure to the outdoors had a positive impact on students as showed by student’s gains in social studies, science, language, and math (Buzzell, 2010). In addition to the benefits in academics, spending time in nature can help with attention, relaxation, and regulation of the nervous system (Segal et al., 2020, p. 99). Other studies have demonstrated that ecotherapy can help with the development of empathy, relationship skills, and self-concept (Harper, 2020). Researchers Peterson and Boswell (2015) proposed the integration of nature elements and natural settings to traditional therapies. In this case study, the researchers found that by working outdoors, the child had gains in areas like decision-making abilities, creativity, confidence, self-acceptance, and a sense of control. In a research article about art in educational settings with preschool children, Cutcher and Boyd (2018) found that creativity aided the learning process of children. These findings align with literature that states that nature-based and arts-based practices promote creativity, and therefore enhance the learning process.

In the area of the therapeutic alliance between therapist and participant, research has shown that when the therapy is conducted in nature, it can help balance power dynamics, break tensions, and invoke curiosity and a sense of collaboration. (Segal et al., 2020, p. 100). Regarding incorporating ecotherapy practices into traditional therapy Kamitsis and Simmonds (2017) found that the integration of nature into traditional therapies can be done in a simple manner by incorporating natural objects, nature imagery in activities such as meditation, and even giving participants the homework of spending time in nature. In addition, Kamitsis and Simmonds (2017) found that many of the practices were unique to each practitioner hinting that the use of nature can be personalized to fit the therapist’s preferences and available resources.

Introduction

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