Shropshire tutor who helps students connect with nature featured in prestigious journal
An Shropshire outdoor coaching project leader has shared her techniques in a prestigious psychotherapy journal.
Jane Owen from Shrewsbury Colleges Group leads a course that supports the wellbeing of young people through engagement with woodland and nature.
In her article published in Coaching Today, Jane discusses the origins of the forest experience project working with students and describing how the project has particularly helped the mental health of one student who was finding life challenging, in addition to a number with exam anxiety.
She said: "My students at the college are of mixed backgrounds and academic ability, and are at a stage in life where they have lots of choices and decisions to make, which can be both challenging and stressful. They often work long hours in their part-time jobs, in addition to their college coursework, and have a high dependency on mobile phones and social media.
“Having observed the changes in my own son in a woodland environment, I decided to open up a discussion on forest school experiences with my own tutor group of young people in the College. Half the group had experienced forest school in their primary schools and remembered it fondly. Equally, they were keen to experience it again as young adults, with a view to providing some form of ‘stress-busting’ relaxation.”
“This was a very emotional experience and a golden opportunity for young adults to reconnect with their inner child," she added. "I believe that coaches, counsellors and educators can use forest experiences to help build and support the development of resilience, confidence and self-esteem for teenagers and young adults."
