Studies in Ecopsychology

Ecopsychology Studies provides an opportunity for Lewis & Clark and Continuing Studies students to concentrate in practice, scholarship or research focused on the relationship between mental health and environmental and sustainability issues. Resources include advising, course work, independent study, and practice experiences.

Courses in Ecopsychology

CPSY 590 Foundations of Ecopsychology
This course provides an introduction to ecopsychology practices in counseling and surveys related research-based approaches, such as environmental and conservation psychology, that study the restorative effects of natural settings and ways that individuals develop environment identities. Students will be guided toward self-reflection regarding their own environmental identity, their motivations for integrating environmental approaches into counseling, and ways to integrate ecopsychology into their existing theory and practice base. A key outcome will be learning to evaluate diverse knowledge claims that coexist under the ecopsychology paradigm. This course provides a foundation for further study in areas such as the psychology of advocacy and sustainability, eco-therapy, and wilderness therapy.
Prerequisite: None.
Credit: 2 semester hours.
Fall 2008 dates: October 11 and 12, December 6 and 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

CPSY 590 Eco-Therapy
This course will provide resources and techniques for mental health providers to utilize nature activities and metaphors in their therapeutic work, address environmental concerns they may encounter during the course of counseling, and harness individuals’ sustainability values to foster therapeutic goals. We will review research and practices in ecopsychology, conservation psychology, and environmental psychology and explore topics such as environmental identity, grief and despair about environmental issues, restorative natural settings, green spaces and children, and the adoption of sustainable living practices.
Prerequisite: None.
Credit: 2 semester hours.
Spring 2009 Dates: March 14 and 15, and April 11 and 12.

CPSY 590 Wilderness Therapy Intensive
Wilderness therapy in the 21st century can be seen as a specialized form of residential mental health treatment and can also be understood in the context of western and indigenous cultural traditions. This course will explore the application of mental health and substance abuse treatment in outdoor settings with adolescents (i.e., Outdoor Behavioral Health Care) and discuss therapeutic uses of wilderness experiences for recreation, personal growth and reflection, and athletic challenge. We will examine research on the benefits of green spaces and outdoor experiences on stress reduction, restoration of attention, enhanced self concept and sense of mastery, cognitive development, treatment of emotional and substance abuse disorders, and promotion of personal meaning. The course will have classroom and field experiences, including an overnight camping component. The course is open to counseling and education students and qualified students in other Lewis and Clark programs. The course is also open to continuing studies students and may be helpful for individuals interested in exploring the health benefits of nature and those employed in outdoor-related fields.
Prerequisite: None.
Credit: 2 semester hours.
Summer 2009 Dates: Offered in August 2009, dates pending.
Course Fee: $180.00.
Please note that Continuing Studies students must have instructor permission before registering for this course. Please contact the Center for Continuing Studies for more information.

Related Courses

These elective courses also address issues related to ecopsychology.

CPSY 590 Community Development and Social Change
This seminar-style course aims to link psychology and the mental health professions to the broader social movements for social justice and sustainability. We review the international emergence of a perspective known as critical psychology and establishes links between this perspective and the social theories of major figures such as Foucault, Habermas, and Deleuze-Guattari. Then we engage with a critical version of ecopsychology, building bridges between humanistic approaches and critical approaches to the relations between humans and the rest of nature. Finally, we explore the contemporary global social movements and examine productive roles for psychologists and therapists. This involves extensive reflection of strategies for social change in the current postmodern scene. Students carry out a project to design a change strategy that addresses a particular sphere in which change is needed, and present it to classmates for review and critique.
Instructor: Tod Sloan, Ph.D.
Prerequisite: None.
Credit: 2 semester hours.
Fall 2008 Dates: Wednesdays, 7:00-9:15 p.m. from September 3 to December 10.

Instructor Information

Ecopsychology Studies Coordinator Thomas Joseph Doherty, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in Portland, Oregon with a private practice (Sustainable Self) specializing in working with individuals and organizations about environmental and sustainability issues. Thomas is the editor of the new peer-reviewed journal Ecopsychology to be published in 2009 by Liebert Publishing and is a member of American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change. In addition to his interests in the relationship between nature and health, Thomas has a background in wilderness therapy, river guiding, and health psychology.

Ecopsychology News and Photos

Read about Thomas Doherty and his Fall 2007 Ecopsychology class in the New York Times.

The following photos were taken during the Summer 2008 Wilderness Therapy course at Silver Falls State Park.