Ecotherapy Retreat: Mindfulness and Creativity (Scottish Borders) (CPD)

A retreat weekend that doubles up as a training in ecotherapy. This CPD training retreat is suitable for those who are new to the field and also experienced ecotherapy practitioners looking to connect with like-minded folk as part of a relaxed, wild camping experience.

During this long summer weekend, we will be working with grounding and mindfulness techniques, as well as exploring creative work with story and art. We will explore ways that we can connect others with Nature in a therapeutic context, take time to slow down ourselves, and learn new therapeutic skills.

Shifting our focus, we can look to the distant hills, feel the texture of soil in our hands, or hear the sound of falling rain, and explore:

How does it feel to walk silently and mindfully as a group in the wild? How can we safely lead others in this way?

How does it feel to connect with ancient myth and folklore as a form of Nature connection, whilst sitting around a crackling open fire?

What happens when we hold space for others to experience Nature peacefully, promoting positive mental health in the process?

Working with trees, hill views and the river, we will be mindful of what arises within us and share our experiences with the group.

This weekend takes place in Tariki Trust’s private woodlands in the heart of the beautiful Scottish Borders. It is suitable for anybody with an interest in ecotherapy, including those who simply want to experience some ecotherapy for themselves as well as those who are training in this field. It will work as a perfect introduction to ecotherapy as well as a recap on the basics for more experienced practitioners. There will be some reflection time at the end of each day where we can explore our personal experiences of the retreat, exploring how this kind of work can be offered to others (always with a cup of warm tea in our hands and a fire crackling before us!).

Times, location, food and practical information

Location: Abbey Wood, Earlston, Scottish Borders. (Exact location given after booking). Earlston is in the heart of the Scottish Borders: a rural, sparsely populated area that is rich with gorgeous rivers, rolling green hills and enchanting folklore.

Important Accessibility Information. During the retreat we may be walking for some miles in muddy, uphill terrain. An average level of fitness is required. Unfortunately, Abbey Wood and the surrounding area is not accessible for wheelchair users or those with other physical disabilities where walking uphill is not possible, as the woods is up a steep stony track and the camping area is wild. However, if you have another condition or illness and you are not sure if it will affect your ability to engage with the retreat, please email Stephen to discuss this and we will do everything we can to accommodate (within the obvious limitations of the spaces we are using). Email stephen@tarikitrust.org

Times: Arrival is between 3pm - 6pm on Friday 5th September or by arrangement. The retreat ends around 11am on Monday 8th September. We ask people to come and stay for the entire retreat, from Friday evening to Monday morning, in order to get the most out of the group experience.

Facilitators: Stephen McCabe and Sam Lewis. This event is organised by Buddhist charity Tariki Trust. It can be taken as part of our Ten Directions year-long course in ecotherapy, or as a standalone weekend.

Getting to Earlston: We encourage the use of public transport where possible. The small town of Earlston can be reached by taking the 51 bus from Edinburgh, and we are offering free pick ups from the town centre. The bus takes around 90 minutes and you can find the timetable here. (We provide more details after booking.)

CPD Event: This event counts as Continuing Professional Development for counsellors, therapists and others in helping professions. We are happy to issue CPD certificates once you have attended the entire weekend. Simply message us through Eventbrite after the workshop/series is over and we will email your certificate. This camping retreat counts as 24 CPD training hours and 24 training hours for Ten Directions students who are enrolled on the full course. Although this event is part of the Ten Directions ecotherapy training programme, anybody can book a ticket and take part in this weekend (even if you are not currently training with us).

Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner (all vegan) will be provided as part of your fee. If you have any food allergies, you can let us know after booking and we will do our best to accommodate this. As this is a training weekend, we work together a team; therefore there is a rota for preparing meals which everyone is asked to contribute to.

Camping: This retreat comprises three nights of wild camping in a small woodland. There are activities planned from morning until evening, with plenty of time between activities for some silent, solo reflection time of your own. Abbey Wood is a small woodlands of between 2-3 acres and you will need to bring your own (one-person only) tent. This is a truly wild camping experience with no electricity or running water. We have a composting toilet, rainwater for basic washing, and obviously there is plenty of drinking water, but luxuries don’t extend much further beyond this, so please be prepared for no showers etc. We will send you information before the retreat starts detailing everything that you need to bring with you.

Refunds are possible up until thirty days before the event. Regrettably, for organisational reasons (unless in extreme circumstances) we are not able to provide refunds within 30 days before the event begins, as we need to know exact numbers to make appropriate plans.