FAQ

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

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Q:

Do you only do ecotherapy?

A:

No.  The majority of my approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  This is highly effective contemporary “talk therapy” where there is an effort to find beneficial ways of thinking (cognition) and taking action (behavior) to contend with mental health distress.

 

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Q:
Do you work with certain populations or do you have specialties?

A:
My approach has been very helpful for adult individuals who are troubled with…

• depression
• anxiety
• relationship struggles
• stress
• PTSD/trauma
• low self-esteem
• substance abuse
• anger
• antisocial tendencies
• codependency
• divorce
• family conflict
• grief
• life transitions
• men’s issues
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• parenting
• peer relationships
• academic issues
• low self esteem
• poor sleep/insomnia
• suicidal ideation

 

 

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Q:

How do I start with you?

A:

Email me at ericdiilio@yahoo.com.  I will get back to you within 24 hours to cover goals, appointment-setting, insurance verification, and otherwise answer your questions.

 

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Q:

Why are you doing telehealth?

A:

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, telehealth took root as a very viable and effective means to conduct therapy sessions.  I certainly love face-to-face interactions, but I have found telehealth to have the same results as in-person sessions.  Also, doing telehealth keeps my fees low.  And meeting virtually eliminates the need to commute which certainly helps with with pollution and ecological concerns!

 

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Q:

Do you conduct ecotherapy outside with clients?

A:
Clients will find having their own experiences in nature on their own time most beneficial.  Session time will focus on therapeutic issues, status of progress, identifying further approaches and efforts that will likely be beneficial, and how one’s own time outdoors is being optimized for therapeutic benefit.

 

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Q:
What is ecotherapy?

A:
Ecotherapy is a counseling approach that promotes healing and psychological growth which is nurtured and enhanced by experiences with nature.  It is considered to be applied Ecopsychology (see below for definition), just as psychotherapy is Applied, or Clinical, Psychology.

Ecotherapy is consciously and purposefully spending time in the outdoors to gain healthful benefits that are needed, noticed, or sought after.  On one’s own, many benefits can be accessed (see below: “How does ecotherapy help?”).  Every one of us has tapped into this at some point… going for a walk, stepping out for a breath of fresh air, hitting the park for the day, going to beach for the weekend, catching some rays of sun, or relaxing by a window’s view of nature, to name just a few examples.

However, when challenges are dire, overwhelming or unmanageable, this is when one needs to reach out for therapeutic help.  An ecotherapist can help to enhance, suggest, and guide the therapeutic experiences in nature to allow for the most benefit.

 

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Q:
What do clients do in ecotherapy?

A:
Guided imagery with nature as a theme may be utilized as a type of meditation. Also, effects of nature or recent experiences a client has had in nature can be recalled.  This can allow for discussion of how to best capitalize on time spent outdoors regarding what challenges one is facing.  For example, if someone is having anxiety troubles, we may discuss how to do relaxation techniques, improve self-monitoring skills, or anxiety-distracting activities on ones’ own time.

Time spent actually outdoors is central to ecotherapy.  Some activities and methods clients engage in may include:  reconnecting with nature via any level of outdoor experience, reflecting on balances in nature and the need for balance in one’s life, examining one’s life via metaphor or via nature-centered wisdom and anecdotes, interacting with plants and animals (gardening, plant and animal identification, and animal therapy), concepts of voluntary simplicity, meditative activities (Flow), incorporating nature in home and working environments, exercise, introspection in solo time, & nature and wilderness retreats.

 

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Q:
How does ecotherapy help?

A:
I have recognized three main areas that ecotherapy greatly enhances when a client is seeking change and contending with considerable challenges.  They are:

– Clarity:  The time spent away from one’s usual viewpoint can provide new perspectives.  Clarity can be invaluable to find new ideas regarding how to cope, heal, & thrive.

– Serenity:  Experiences in nature can be extraordinarily soothing and calming.  This establishes a counterbalance of peace amid stress.

– Reinvigoration:  All sorts of outdoor endeavors can lead to a sense of feeling enlivened.  This busts the anxiety and depression that coincides with many mental health concerns.  Nature can recharge a person so they can persevere and sustain as they seek to heal.

 

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Q:
How do I find out more about ecotherapy?

A:
There is actually a growing amount of information and articles online by searching for “ecotherapy” and related topics.

See this website’s Resources page.  Select “More About Ecotherapy” from the drop-down menu.

 

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Q:
What is ecopsychology?

A:
It is the intersection of the fields of ecology and psychology.  It is the overarching field of study to which ecotherapy is the therapeutic application of the concepts.  “Ecopsychology” is the name that has stuck, but there are various names you may hear (e.g.  psychoecology, environmental psychology, green psychology, deep ecology).

Ecopsychology is a relatively new (since the 1990’s) re-conceptualization of the field of psychology that examines nature’s influence on humans as well as humans’ impact on nature.