NTC 2026 Speakers and Workshop leaders
Jennifer Wakefield
The thrive approach is a dynamic, developmental, trauma-sensitive approach to meeting the emotional and social developmental needs of all children and young people. It is informed by recent developments in neuro-scientific research, and is underpinned by a theoretical base in child development theory, attachment theory and research into creativity, play and the arts.
The online assessment tool enables practitioners to clearly and systematically identify the social and emotional needs of the child/young person, and suggests how to be and what to do in order to meet those needs. Geared towards addressing the needs of the children and young people, it equips practitioners with the ability to support right-time emotional development, as well as to provide reparative interventions for children and young people with unmet needs from earlier in their development. In this way, the Thrive Approach is rigorous, targeted, measurable and inclusive.
I then adapt the approaches suggested to an outdoor setting, using Forest School activities to work through those gaps in emotional development.
I will use examples of work that I have been doing in both a school setting, private 1:1 and an after school provisions. One child has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, one has Emotional Based School Avoidance and the school setting has a range of different needs from pastoral to Autism and ADHD.
Bio: I am a wife to Stephen, and Mum to Ralph (11) Edward (9) and Edgar (7). We live in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Apart from work, I also fundraise and spread awareness for The Lullaby Trust, as we lost Ralph when he was 6 months old to SIDS.
Mark Clarke
Soap Stone carving is a wonderful, satisfying, creative, mindful activity. Soapstone (Steatite) is a very soft natural stone in a variety of colours from a number of sources, including the UK. Use simple tools, such as a penknife or more specialist Riffler Files, all provided, over an hour or two, to carve, sand and polish a beautiful amulet, pendant or worry stone.
Bio: I am a qualified teacher with over thirty years’ experience working in mainstream and specialist environments. 20 years ago, I started introducing creative making opportunities at events and festivals, working with families and more recently adult groups. 10 years ago I found Forest School, had my own practice and found a new direction and calling. At that time, I started offering CPD opportunities to Outdoor Learning Providers, specialising in natural materials, their uses and associated tools. Engaging people in creative making practices in nature with natural materials for me, is one of the most valuable therapeutic offerings. My most recent project, The Forest School Show, landing later this year in Nottinghamshire with a significant emphasis on health, mindfulness and wellbeing.
Gwern Wyllt
Within a consecrated circle honouring earth, sea, and sky, participants will step out into the Wild Wood itself, engaging directly with its guardians, signs, and teachings. Each person will meet the animal guide who rises for them through encounter rather than selection, allowing resonance, not preference, to shape the relationship. Please bring your own throw, as it will become a totemic reminder of the animal guide who meets you in the Wild Wood: a symbolic companion you can return to throughout the turning year for grounding, reflection, and continued mythogenic insight.
Bio: Gwern Wyllt is a ritual designer, wilderness guide, and founder of Wyllt, a therapeutic practice that integrates animistic Druidry, mythogenic storytelling, and nature-based healing. With formal training through the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids and the Anglesey Druid Order, Gwern’s work draws on ancestral traditions and symbolic mapping to support identity formation, emotional resilience, and personal transformation.
Following a heart attack in 2024, Gwern initiated his first wilderness therapeutic programme, an immersive experience that wove together ritual, landscape, and story as medicine. Since then, he has developed a series of mythic frameworks and experiential workshops that help individuals navigate psychological thresholds, build self-esteem, and reconnect with the wild wisdom of place.
Rooted in the folklore and terrain of northern England, especially the mythic landscape surrounding Ingleborough, Gwern’s approach bridges clinical insight with archetypal depth, offering a path where healing is not just intervention, but initiation.
Rupert Loch
Using outdoor learning to deliver scientific concepts to improve engagement in science education. A workshop for practitioners and STEM teachers who work with students who are studying at KS3, 4 and GCSE.
Outdoor practitioners have been aware for some time that student engagement is supported by learning outside though there is very little work that has been done to assess its impact. This workshop from Feral Science is based around Rupert’s current research and will explore how complex science can be delivered using sessions planned for delivery outdoors. The session will consist of a series of topics that have been designed to work to engage students with complex needs and allow them to access challenging scientific concepts. Practitioners will be introduced to approaches that they can use to support academic learning by adapting their outdoor sessions.
Bio: Rupert is a former head of science, a bushcraft instructor, an outdoor enthusiast and has just completed a MSc in Experimental Archaeology. He has been a regular presenter at the NTC and also presents at the IOL Bushcraft conference and later this year will be presenting an outdoor learning research paper, co-written with one of his schools, at the IOERC in Oslo.
Vanessa Warrington & Gemma Jones
Vanessa and Gemma are teaming up to facilitate a creative and empowering workshop exploring rhythm, voice, words, and intention. This session is designed to nurture confidence, self-expression, and authentic voice through playful and meaningful creative practices.
Bring an open mind, curiosity, and a willingness to have a go.
Drums, rattles, sticks, or maracas are welcome, and we’ll also have our box of percussion, pens, and paper ready for creative exploration.
Together, we’ll experience how emotional wellbeing, self-expression, and social connection can be nurtured through drumming, lyric writing, poetry, and spoken word, guided by therapeutic creative arts models and positive psychology.
Bio: Vanessa is the guardian of Halkyn Castle Wood where she creates beautiful nature spaces for holistic wellbeing, education, and ritual. The woods are managed for both biodiversity and to connect people to the power and beauty of nature.
Vanessa is a teacher, trainer, Forest School, Forest Bathing and Wellbeing in Nature practitioner, forager, hammocker and dendrophile.
Vanessa weaves immersion in nature with mindful crafting, cooking, music, reflection and manifestation for achieving peace, balance and power.
Take a look @resilienceathalkyncastlewood
Ellie Lloyd-Jones & Karen Jones
Elevate Netwalking Taster Session: A Reflective Walking Workshop
This workshop is an invitation to experience how nature, when noticed with intention, can become a co-facilitator in reflective practice. Rather than analysing or fixing, the focus is on creating the conditions where insight can emerge through movement, attention, and changing surroundings.
Through a short, gentle walk, simple coaching cards, paired conversation, and individual reflection, participants are invited to slow down and notice what shifts when the natural environment is actively included in the process. Trees, paths, and open spaces offer contrast, metaphor, and pause, often prompting insights that feel less forced and more embodied.
Bring curiosity and a sense of something wanting attention. The session offers a lived experience of how intentional engagement with nature can support clarity, regulation, and renewed perspective.
Bio: Ellie Lloyd-Jones is a nature-based coach and facilitator, and the founder of Elevate Netwalking. Her work sits at the intersection of nature connection, reflective practice, and everyday life. She brings a grounded, real-world perspective to nature-based practice, with a particular interest in how time outdoors supports clarity, nervous system regulation, and more sustainable ways of thinking and relating. Ellie is the co-author of one of the few practical guides dedicated specifically to outdoor coaching and is passionate about making reflective outdoor practice accessible and human.
Karen Jones works alongside Ellie to expand nature-based coaching offerings in North Wales. Her work is rooted in a belief that coaching should be accessible, human, and grounded in everyday experience. She sees nature as a powerful setting for insight, perspective, and self-belief to emerge, creating warm, encouraging spaces that support people to grow in ways that feel sustainable, authentic, and aligned with their values.
Hayley Smitham-Hopewell
This talk explores the role of green and blue spaces in supporting mental health and emotional wellbeing. Drawing on outdoor practice, therapy‑informed approaches, and land‑based learning, Hayley Smitham Hopewell considers how time spent in natural environments can support regulation, resilience, and recovery.
A particular focus will be given to blue spaces, exploring why water is especially important for mental health and why it is often experienced as deeply therapeutic. It will also explore the use of metaphor in green and blue spaces, and how natural elements—particularly water—can help people make sense of their inner experiences.
Bridging the worlds of bushcraft and therapy, the talk combines practical outdoor experience with therapeutic insight.
Bio: With a lifelong passion for the outdoors, I began working in the industry at 16 before studying Outdoor Management and travelling season to season. After completing my teaching degree in 2007, I spent 14 years in the classroom, nurturing a love for life skills and the Duke of Edinburgh Award. A move into a therapeutic school allowed me to gain bushcraft qualifications and develop my EQE therapeutic practice, reigniting my enthusiasm for teaching. I am continuing my EQE studies toward Level 5 psychotherapy. Having learned so much across diverse settings, I’m committed to sharing my experience, expanding my skills, and contributing to a thriving community of best practice.
Adam Crane
An Introduction to Evaluation and Research” is a practical, nature‑based workshop designed for practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of how to evidence and enhance the impact of their work.
This session explores the essentials of evaluation, theory of change, ethical research practice, and ways to collaborate effectively with academic partners. No previous research experience is required, just curiosity and a willingness to reflect on your practice.
Bio: Adam is an evaluator in Higher Education who manages and advises a wide portfolio of projects aligned to educational equity. These projects include mental health, peer mentoring, financial support and supporting students from specific under-represented backgrounds (often socio-economic). He has worked in Higher Education for 14 years. He also leads activity and has research interests around developing students social capital. Adam also plays an active role at Wilderness Tribe CIC, supporting the evaluation process and holding the Chair of the Board position.
Ian Whiteside
This session provides insight regarding the prevalence, risk factors and impacts of gambling related harms and addiction in the UK.
It explores how practitioners can develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in supporting people at risk of, or experiencing, gambling harm to develop their confidence and practice in conducting brief interventions.
The session also emphasise the value and positive element of nature based support for those in recovery following therapeutic treatment.
Bio: Ian Whiteside is the Early Intervention and Education Programme Manager at Beacon Counselling Trust. Ian is a professional Youth and Community Worker and qualified Mountain Leader with an MSc in Drug Use and Addictions and over 25 years’ experience working in the field.
Over his career Ian has worked in drugs and alcohol treatment and support, education and prevention provision, residential care services with looked after children, lead on projects aimed at supporting vulnerable young people involved in risk-taking behaviours and worked across a range of initiatives within the Statutory and Voluntary sectors respectively concerning risk-taking behaviours and public health issues.
Ian incorporates the benefits of walking in the outdoors and the nature connection with nature as valuable intervention with service users through aftercare programmes. As community based outdoor practitioner Ian advocates the benefits of the outdoors as a integral element in supporting peoples wellbeing and recovery.
Victoria Clark
Sustainable & Sacred – Ancient Wisdom meets Modern Application
This workshop brings together the sustainable principles and ethics of Permaculture* (description below) in harmony with the ancient and sacred wisdom of communing with nature in a reverent way as our ancestors did.
Offering a range of practical tools balanced with techniques to develop our intuition for navigating these times of change and uncertainty with grace, discernment and integrity. This will include the opportunity to connect with universal consciousness through a drum guided journey, a practice that deepens your awareness of your own inner wisdom and intuition.
My aim is for this workshop is to support you on a personal level as well as a professional one as we share ways to keep us well and in tune with the world around us.
*Permaculture is a modern 20th century application of design principles based on the patterns and cycles in nature. It is based on core ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Shares along with some core principles and tools that allow us to access the practical wisdom of nature and apply it to any design such as a land-based project, a business model or a personal wellbeing plan.
Bio: With an affinity for nature since childhood I dedicated my life to learning how nature can guide, teach and heal us. After gaining my diploma in holistic therapy in 2003, I went on to travel and learn from indigenous cultures and spiritual traditions both abroad and in the UK, eventually graduating as a shamanic practitioner in 2008.
Passionate about bridging the worlds of ancient wisdom and practical application, I spent several years working with the NHS and mental health settings, whilst also hosting spiritual gatherings around the UK. I then gained my qualification in Permaculture Design in 2016, this training informs all of my choices both personally and through my business.
I love to learn, from the people I meet, the non-human world and through continued study that spans science, psychology and spirituality.
In these crucial times of great change, I believe, discernment, humility, integrity and community are essential.
Claire Marshall
Workshop One:
Guiding a Tea Ceremony:
During this experiential workshop, participants will be guided through a Forest Tea ceremony and an exploration of the practice of land acknowledgement and gratitude. Forest Tea serves as the closing invitation of an ANFT Forest Therapy walk, gently guiding participants from a liminal state of deep connection back into everyday awareness with softness, presence, and care.
Workshop Two:
EcoNidra Meditation:
Join me for a deeply restorative EcoNidra meditation held among the trees. Rooted in the practices of forest bathing and Yoga Nidra, EcoNidra offers a profound state of relaxation and renewal. This guided meditation is comparable to three to four hours of restful sleep, supporting stress and anxiety reduction, enhancing mood and cognitive clarity, and nurturing creativity and compassion. Participants are invited to bring a yoga mat, blanket, and pillow to ensure comfort throughout the practice.
Bio: Claire is a Nature-Based Psychotherapist, EcoNidra Teacher and ANFT Forest Therapy Guide. Claire helps individuals and groups to slow down, reconnect with themselves and deepen their connection with nature and others. Through immersive nature based practices Claire creates a safe space for healing, reflection and personal growth within the more than human world.
Robin Sheehan
THE ONE IN FIVE …Is it you?
RESTLESS? UNSETTLED? AMBITIOUS DREAMER BUT UNFULFILLED? DISSATISFIED? DISFOCUSED? FRUSTRATED? HUGE ENERGY BUT LOW MOMENTUM? FEEL LIKE YOU’RE ALWAYS ON THE WRONG PATH? FED UP WITH PEOPLE ALWAYS ROLLING THEIR EYES AND ASKING WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO SETTLE DOWN AND GET A PROPER JOB?!
MAYBE YOU ARE DRD4-7R.
1 in 5 of our Palaeolithic ancestors had the genetic variant DRD4-7R. They helped save the human species, and move it forwards. They dared to go against the tribe, travel and explore further than ever, reach undiscovered countries, people and cultures. Against tribal and cultural pressures, prejudice, expectation and authority, they instigated exploration, invention and innovation, smashing convention, and braved life threatening migrations through unknown wildernesses to different environments and discovering other cultures.
We are where we are today because of the 1 in 5, who future-proofed humanity.
But where are they today? Do they still exist? Or has DRD4-7R disappeared?
Like what we today identify as ADHD, and ASD (Autism), DRD4-7R is what would have been a valuable tribal trait, and evident in a specific proportion of the community.
Are you feeling this? In your DNA?!
It’s our turn to pull humanity forwards. In Wilderness Psychotherapy we re-awaken the human potential in others, and look in the Wilderness Mirror to see it in ourselves.
Let’s explore the “Explorer Gene”, through wilderness therapy and how it might relate to Person Centred, Solutions Focused, and Internal Family Systems therapy.
DRD4-7R – Are you ready to switch it on? In others or in yourself?
Bio: Robin is eQe Course Director for Wilderness Psychotherapy qualifications and training. Robin is also a Climatologist, Oceanographer, Environmental Scientist, and Bushcraft Practitioner. Environmental industry senior manager to Managing Director level, he has an MBA focusing on Strategy, and a Masters in Natural Environments and Plant Growth, and is therapeutically trained in Resource Based Therapies and SFBT for C-PTSD.
Robin trained in Death Valley USA, as a Wilderness Vision Quest Guide and in Rites of Passage, promising the Elders to bring these principles back to the UK and incorporate them into Outdoor-Based Therapy work and education, and also Organisational and Personal Development practice for businesses.
Since 2011 Robin has outdoor-therapeutically trained: Healthcare workers; Therapists and Counsellors; University lecturers, Psychotherapy researchers; SEND professionals, Military veterans and Veterans’ Organisations; Mountain leaders; Expedition leaders; Looked After Children services; Hospital Teaching Service; School staff and Children’s workers; Refugee workers; Overseas NGO workers
Jade Mcleod
Balmy for nature
Before modern agriculture and medicine we only had what we could find around us. Foraging for food and medicine is making a comeback heading back to our ‘roots’
The lost information of what nature really has to offer is a thing of the past. Knowledge held by only a handful is being shared and passed on. That’s what this workshop is all about, sharing our knowledge with each other. Helping to create a community book of recipes and plant uses. As well as having a go and making some natural balms and soap using the plants around us. Let’s get balmy for nature!
Bio: I started working as a Forest school leader 5 years ago, I now work as a wilderness therapist running my own company “brew in the woods” based in York.
I have always loved the outdoors since my early childhood hiking and camping with my family.
I feel at home in nature and I have continued the joy of being in the outdoors with my own family, taking camping trips up and down the country. I love my job
Luke Collyer
1) Making Charcloth and Fire: We will explore the process of creating charcloth using recycled cotton shirts or denim over the fire. We will discuss how the process allows the fabric to catch even the smallest spark. Using striker you will direct sparks onto your charcloth place into a tinder bundle, and learn the technique of blowing it into a flame. You will gain the skills to start a fire from scratch and take away your own tin and the charcloth you’ve produced.
2) Hammock Set Ups. Wanting to buy a hammock? Have one, but want to learn other techniques of set ups? Come on this workshop and I’ll show you some standard methods of hammock set up – and touch on others, giving my opinion and thoughts on the best to choose. You’ll learn how to place the tarp, with different knots, then suspension systems for the hammock and the science of the hammock lay. You’ll learn about underquilts. And to put it all together on where to set up, problem solving, and where to buy things. Hopefully you’ll come away with a much better understanding on hammock set ups and a confidence to sort this yourself.
Bio: Hi, I’m Luke – currently I am a Paramedic Practitioner, working in Urgent Care., and have been working in medicine since 2009. Prior to this, since late 90’s I have worked in the Outdoor Industry – within Mountains, and more commonly Jungle environments, leading remote long term expeditions.
I have maintained my skills and qualifications in the buschraft/mountains/primitive skills world – have completed the SIGMA 3 Survival Instructor Certification in USA, and also hold NCFE Level 4 Certificate in Applied Bushcraft, and still hold Mountain Leader (Summer) award from long ago.
Between full time Practitioner work, being a father and husband, I still try and enjoy primitive skills and crafts. And between that I try and spend time running my CIC, DeWolfCIC – a woodland retreat aimed at Emergency Services workers and NHS staff who may be dealing with PTSD or similar issue
Chris Grice
Using Drumming Circles in Therapy
Drumming Circles… to some, the home of whacked out hippy drummers and festival goers, to others, an Ancient medical practice.
In this 2-hour experiential workshop, we will look at the science behind drumming circles and the effect that it has on our brain and in particular the autonomic nervous system, as well as looking at how to normalise drumming within a therapeutic environment.
We will look at:
-Links Between Communal Drumming and Poly Vagal Theory
-Drumming and Parts Work
-Using drumming as Part of a trauma recovery approach
If the above concepts are new to you… Don’t worry, this is a hands-on and (hopefully jargon-free) session
All abilities, both musically and therapeutically, are very welcome; you can bring your own drum or borrow one of ours
Bio: Chris has spent over 5 years working in the Nature Therapeutic space, and is currently in training to be one of the first Wilderness Psychotherapists to qualify in the UK.
He has a passion for supporting those who often ‘slip through the net’ of the traditional system of mental health support.
He is one of the founders of the nature therapy conference and has used his background in business, his passion for nature… and the occasional dad joke to help build various flagship projects in the northwest of England and Wales
Dani Sudlow
Two 90 minute workshops merging themes of ‘Interbeing’ and nature connectedness, sensed through mindful contact, body, breathe and meditative exercises. Drawing upon teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and evidence based nature connection pathways.
Workshop 1: Rising with the sun
A sun-rise session. A time to wake early and align with the tranquil energy of the early morning. Participating in reflections on the theme, mindful practice, waking the body and resting. Synchronising our internal rhythm with nature’s cycles. Leave regulated, awake and gently resourced for the day.
participants will need: Loose and comfortable clothing, warm drink or bottle of water, Yoga mat or similar or opportunity to practice barefoot on the earth.
Workshop 2: Merging with nature – from concept to felt sense
An opportunity to move from thinking and concept to sensing and insight. Participating in reflections on the theme, contact with nature, grounding exercises, mindful breathing and meditation practice.
If possible and weather permits, it would be great to do these sessions outdoors.
Bio: Im Dani, a yoga, meditation and breathe control facilitator based in Flintshire. The heart of my work is in encouraging a turning toward ourselves rather than away. Igniting sparks of insight into the nature of who we are; More of a work – in than a work-out. My practices are rooted in The Himalayan Tradition weaving together three streams of Yoga, Tantra and non-duality.
I value cultivating qualities of compassion and connection, co-creating conscious community. I have an ever growing love for the natural world and an interest in conservation and sustainability. I invite an exploring of our connection to nature, a mindful merging where lines of separation dissolve. Encouraging deeper and meaningful collaboration with the natural world.
I work with people of all ages across diverse settings and contexts – meeting life’s challenges with a convergence of ancient contemplative tradition and contemporary trauma – informed, nervous system aware practices.
Karen Grice
Learn how to make a magical Macrame leaf
Macrame is the art of creating decorative items by hand-tying knots.
A fantastic tool to add to your theraputic or outdoor skill set alike.
Join Karen in the craft tent and embrace the flow state in this hands on yet relaxed workshop.
No experience needed and all abilities welcome
Bio: I discovered Macrame about 3.5 years ago as part of my owen mental health journey. Friends call me the “Macrame Queen”. I love learning something new, a new design to challenge me but the greatest feeling is helping others learn this mindful craft and inturn seeing the enjoyment and growth it can bring.
Mandy Lui
Workshop 1: Outdoor Mindfulness and Herbal Tasting
The outdoors is a wonderful place to practice Mindfulness.
Open your senses and attention to the natural world around you.
Join Mandy and Thuwaibah for a session, where you will be guided in an outdoor mindfulness practice.
Use your senses in nature to calm the mind focus your attention and begin to see what is around you with new eyes.
The session will include a herbal tasting, to help to fine tune your senses.
Workshop 2: Outdoor Chakra Balancing Using the Voice
Sound and vibration have a profound effect on the mind, body and soul.
We have seven main chakras in the body, these are our energy centres, vortices of energetic movement.
Join Mandy and Thuwaibah for a session on how you can use your voice to balance an tone these energy centres of the body.
Open up the powerful world of sound healing for yourself.
Learn a technique that you can use everyday, to improve your wellbeing.
It will only include group toning together – no solo singing required!
No previous singing or voice experience necessary.
Workshop 3: Outdoor Soundbath
Come and be immersed in healing sound.
Sound Healing is a powerful and profound modality for our mind, body and soul.
Relax and be taken on a creative journey of sound.
Experience the healing and balancing effects of the Crystal Bowls, Himalayan Bowls, Gong and a range of other instruments, specially curated for your healing.
Therapeutic sound can calm the mind, disperse negative energy and thought patterns and induce the body to create balance and healing.
All you need to do is come and relax.
Bio: Hello, I’m Mandy and live in east London. I am an Advanced Wilderness Therapeutic Practitioner. Along with two friends – a psychotherapist and a home herbalist/meditation practitioner we launched a not-for-profit company, Earthwise Collective, to support people in urban communities to reduce stress, build resilience and improve mental health through evidence based programmes in connection with the natural environment, supporting healthier, stronger communities by helping people reconnect with the natural world, cultivate positive mental health, deepen their sense of self, and combat social isolation.
For the past year, I have been studying to become a Sound Healing Practitioner with the Lammas Earth Centre in Pembrokeshire. The use of therapeutic sound is a profound practice for healing the mind, body and soul. We will be inviting you to join us for mindfulness, chakra balancing and sound bath at the conference this year.
Bridget Sheehan & Dr Rukyya Hassan
Different Paths, One Landscape: Navigating Diversity in the Outdoors
Aims:
• To increase our awareness of the connections between us
• To explore different facets of our own identity
• To increase our understanding of current terminology
• To explore issues that we face in our therapeutic work
Inclusion and diversity are important topics and increasingly difficult to avoid, but they continue to be ones that we struggle with for fear of offending, getting it wrong and appearing ignorant. This workshop will provide an opportunity both to increase your understanding and to explore your questions and dilemmas in a non-judgmental setting.
The first half will involve facilitated, experiential exercises to help you develop your knowledge and understanding. The second half will be an open forum where we will discuss questions submitted ahead, and if time, brought on the day.
Bio, Bridget: I am an experienced Creative Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer and a qualified Primary School teacher, a wife, mum, and a lover of nature, of walking, reading, gardening, and cooking.
I have been working with children, young people and those who support them for over 30 years. I currently co-deliver the Certificate in Advanced Wilderness Therapeutic Approaches and am the lead for the new Level 5 Diploma in Wilderness Psychotherapy. I also manage a team of therapists.
I love delivering the Wilderness Therapy training, meeting such a rich assortment of beautiful humans and being part of their journeys. I am constantly humbled by the powerful work our Learners are doing as they seek to help others to connect with nature and reconnect with themselves.
Bio, Rukyya: Rukyya is a Consultant Psychiatrist from the Northwest. She has many years’ experience of working in the NHS, including in community, inpatient, and forensic settings. Her clinical interests include the mental health of minoritised and marginalised groups, focusing on refugees and survivors of human rights abuses. Over the years, she has become increasingly aware of the limitations of conventional psychiatric approaches alone and is exploring the role of the natural world and nature-based therapeutic work to support the mental health and wellbeing of people from all backgrounds.
Charis Kaps
EFT (tapping) – what it is, why it’s therapeutic and how we can use it in the context of nature therapy.
As humans, we’re built for connection, to the natural world and other beings.
Trauma or adverse experiences teach us those connections aren’t safe, so we disconnect in order to survive. Healing, in this view, is finding enough safety to allow reconnection. This is where EFT is so powerful – it supports us in feeling safe, so we can engage in the process of reconnection and bring about real change for ourselves.
EFT and immersion in nature at the same time is so synergystic – we’re opening up to connection, the EFT is supporting us in feeling safe, and nature meets us with the most enveloping, rich, complex and supportive system we could imagine.
In this talk we will explore EFT, what it is, how it works and try it out. We will also explore how it can be used in the context of nature therapy.
I hope this will be an interesting and inspiring talk. There will be space for discussion about the role of therapy, the support of nature, and the deeper questions around resilience, equilibrium, and connection.
Bio: Hi, I’m Charis, an intergrative psychotherapeutic counsellor.
My approach to healing is grounded in the understanding (that I know you have too) that the natural world is inherently supportive of life. As humans, we are part of that system, and so, much like the natural world, we have an innate capacity for resilience.
My therapeutic work is rooted in safety and connection. I aim to support safe, authentic connection to the self, to others, and to the wider web of life, drawing on EFT (tapping), nature-based approaches, and relational therapy.
While different in form, these approaches align in their core insight: safety, connection, and complexity support healing, and these qualities are abundant in nature and within us.
Ruth Dixon
Another opportunity to get naturally creative and make your own bramble basket to take home as a NTC 2026 souvenir. Ruth will guide you step by step through harvesting, processing and basket weaving techniques using this common, versatile and fantastically sustainable woodland resource. A chance to relax and reflect on the many therapeutic benefits of expressive creativity in a natural environment.
Bio: As someone who has lived and worked in the heart of the Peak District National Park for most of my life I have developed a deep connection and love for the local area and it’s communities. I am passionate about sharing my own knowledge and experiences of the surrounding natural landscapes with people of all ages through my work as a Forest School and Wilderness Therapeutic Practitioner.
Hattie Parker
Speaker: Journeying with the Yamabushi: How journey can be used in nature based therapeutic practice.
This October 2025, I stayed in the sacred Dewa Sanzan mountains of northern Japan. Here I lived with and learnt from the Yamabushi spiritual leaders who teach healing through nature connection during journeys in the mountains. Their centuries old path blends pilgrimage, ritual, and deep reverence for nature.
In this talk, I will introduce the Yamabushi, the origins of their philosophy and how their practices shape their modern day lives; including silent walking, ritual purification, and the profound belief in ‘Kani’ — the understanding that waterfalls, ancient trees, and other forms in the landscape, are alive and sacred.
Central to their philosophy is fostering connection with the natural world for both themselves and others, they also focus on ‘Uketamo’, a philosophy of bravery, acceptance, and living fully in the present. “To be able to move to the next stage in your life, you need to be able to accept yourself. Throughout the training we practicing Uketamo- accepting our current selves over and over again” (Yamabushi Sendatsu Master)
Drawing on these experiential learnings from the Yamabushi, we will explore how these practices resonate with Western therapeutic frameworks such as; mindfulness, somatic awareness, bilateral stimulation, polyvagal theory and more… showing how structured journeys in nature support resilience, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. Attendees will leave inspired, with both cultural insight and ideas for bringing the transformative power of journeying in nature into their therapeutic work. As an additional session during the conference, I will also lead a Yamabushi inspired ‘Silent Walk’.
Bio: I am a qualified wilderness therapeutic adventure practitioner and Mountain Leader. I am also a level 5 trainee wilderness psychotherapist.
I am running therapeutic journeys in the wild places of England, Wales, Sweden and Portugal.
After over 20 years of informally organising kayak journeys, I am now working towards qualifying as a kayak leader, to add water based journeys to my therapeutic offerings. My therapeutic work is informed by modern day psychotherapy, Native American teachings, Celtic knowledge, Swedish Friluftsliv philosophy and more recently my learnings and new connections with the Yamabushi of northern Japan who undertake nature pilgrimages.
Caitlin Longen
At the conference I will be documenting the gathering through photography, film and audio: capturing both the formal sessions and the moments in between.
The aim is to reflect the atmosphere of the event, from the learning, connection, creativity, and shared experiences that emerge when people come together in nature, whilst also shedding light on this exciting topic and growing community.
Say cheese!!
Bio: I’m a freelance filmmaker and photographer who uses storytelling to explore our connection with the natural world. My work often focuses on outdoor experiences that support reflection and connection from documentary to charitable communications.
I’m particularly interested in how greater access to nature and shared outdoor experiences can inspire care for the environment… because what we care about, we protect.
@yolongden
Tara Crank
Augmented Perception: Digital Tools in Therapeutic Nature Programmes:
How can digital technologies support nature connection? Join Tara as she shares findings from her exciting ongoing PhD research to answer this question. Using tools like wildlife cameras and specialist microphones, she collaborates with community groups accessing social support and outdoor leaders to learn from both perspectives. The current stage of findings showed the digital tools prompted reflective thinking about nature; perception of details; movement and tactile engagement, as well as strategic exploration of the tools themselves. In this talk, Tara thoughtfully shares what these findings could mean for facilitators, bringing questions of experience, practice, knowledge and reality from augmented sensory perception.
Friction Fire as Technology for Supporting Wellbeing:
In this inspiring practical workshop, Tara will expertly guide you through lighting fire by friction for use in a therapeutic setting. Gain hands-on success with group hand drill and bow drill setups, putting into practice technique refinements to achieve an ember. Engage in reflective discussion with other participants to relate this to your own practices. Delve deeper and learn about the effectiveness and versatility of this fascinating traditional technology through the lens of mediation, a concept that helps us understand technologies as expressions of culture & meaning.
Bio: Tara is a PhD student in Green Health at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David; and a bushcraft-specialist trainer/wildlife & conservation educator. She has a practical and academic interest in examining how tools influence our thoughts and actions. She combines the use of traditional tools, like hand-drills for friction fire, and modern ones like digital microscopes and wildlife cameras, with the aim of diversifying the ways we can come to care for and understand nature. Tara has a Master’s degree in Outdoor Education and has been providing wellbeing sessions in nature to re-engage community groups with their local woodlands since 2017. She also trains professionals in the use of bushcraft skills through her own work and also as part of one of the UK’s leading specialist bushcraft training providers, Woodland Survival Crafts. Her unique outlook and ability to connect with people often leads to lively collaboration and creative consequence.
Dave Watson
Workshop 1: Deeper look into Natural Materials
Our countryside offers an array of materials that can be used to create useful, decorative or notably practical items. By looking deeper into the detail of these materials we can gain a greater level of understanding and personal confidence in the use of these quite inspiring materials and come away with some physical items as well fresh ideas.
Workshop 2: Nature through the lens of faith.
Join Dave as he explores and discusses his lifelong connection with nature, wilderness environments and how this links into his journey that ultimately lead to his Christian faith.
Bio: For over 30 years Dave has been training people of all ages and abilities in Bushcraft based skills. He has been instrumental in developing awards and good practice in this field most notably through the Institute for Outdoor Learning.
His Mentoring programmes have helped many outdoor professionals, including Chris Grice, gain a greater understanding of themselves and their vision through going deeper into the inspiring skills of Bushcraft.
Ida Fabrizio
Wildness Within Walls: Bringing Nature Connection into Hospital Wards
What happens when you bring nature connection into a hospital ward?
In this talk, Ida shares reflections from a six-month NHS pilot at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, where she explored how simple, sensory and seasonal practices could support both patients and staff within a highly clinical environment.
She will speak honestly about what worked, what was challenging, and what it means to carry land-based practice into institutional spaces — from bedside nature connection sessions to supporting hospital biodiversity. The pilot’s success led to continued funding and expansion into other wards.
This session is for practitioners curious about widening the edges of nature therapy — and for anyone wondering how we keep the work alive in places that need it most.
Bio: Ida Fabrizio is a nature connection practitioner and facilitator working across community, conservation and healthcare settings. Rooted in outdoor experiential learning, bushcraft, wildlife tracking and seasonal awareness, she supports people to reconnect with the living world through simple, embodied practices.
Her early work in sustainable food growing included stewarding a one-acre permaculture and community garden at the Castle Climbing Centre in London for over a decade. In recent years, Ida has focused on bringing nature connection into diverse contexts, delivering wellbeing programmes with the RSPB and The Prince’s Trust, contributing to Nature Prescriptions work in primary care, and leading a six-month NHS pilot at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. The hospital project, supporting both patients and staff, has since secured continued funding and expanded into additional wards.
She currently works in Glasgow as a Community and Growing Spaces Coordinator for a housing association.
Rachel Shore
Dawn Chorus Drawings
A unique immersion and creative experience well worth the early wake up ! May is the best and loudest month of the year to hear bird song . This session allows you time to mindfully connect to birdsong through creative mark marking and sound doodling while learning to identify specific species song’s.
No experience or art skills necessary just a pair of open ears, a blanket and maybe a big cup of coffee beforehand!
Bio: I am an outdoor creative therapist with a background in delivering arts engagement and nature based projects with charities around Manchester. My practice entwines sensory exploration, mindfulness and creativity with natural materials.
I have a passion for working with people who live in urban environments with limited access to wild spaces . My approach involves facilitating experiences that offer the therapeutic benefits of nature connection in imaginative and immersive ways.
JK (Jennie-Kate) McQuinn
Seasons of Loss: Nature as a guide for grief
In “Seasons of Loss: Nature as a guide for grief,” JK draws on personal and professional experience alongside the wisdom of the natural world to explore how Nature can support people through grief, loss and bereavement. The workshop weaves together seasonal and cyclical patterns, embodied nature re-connection and Nature’s meaning-making approaches to explore how the natural world can hold us through grief.
Participants will reflect on how landscapes, ecosystems and natural cycles can support emotional processing, nervous system regulation and perspectives of resilience and renewal. Considering the non-linear nature of grief, the session offers insights for practitioners integrating nature-based approaches into client work, while also creating a compassionate space to reflect on personal experiences of loss, including climate grief. Participants will leave with practical nature-led insights and simple approaches for both professional practice and personal reflection.
Bio: JK is the founder of Where The Mind Grows, a nature-led coaching practice from Yorkshire, supporting individuals, teams and organisations to enhance well-being and nurture compassionate resilience through reconnection with the natural world. Not just ‘in’ Nature, but learning from it too. Since establishing her practice in 2017, she brings over 15 years (before that) of leadership experience across charitable, private and public mental health and employability sectors. Her work weaves together ecopsychology, biomimicry, trauma-informed practice and living-systems thinking with traditional coaching approaches to create reflective spaces for navigating life’s complexity.
Through years of working with people in the woods, JK noticed how often conversations turned to grief and loss. Nature has become a ‘co-facilitator’ in this work, offering grounding and perspective as people navigate loss, reconnect with themselves and find meaning when life feels uncertain.