Ecotherapy

Ecotherapy is a therapeutic approach that integrates the healing power of the reciprocal relationship with the natural world into the therapeutic process. Rooted in the understanding that human well-being is deeply connected to the environment, ecotherapy uses outdoor experiences to promote wellbeing.

How We Practice Ecotherapy at California Woodland Institute

At California Woodland Institute, we offer immersive, nature-based therapy experiences designed to help clients reconnect with themselves and the land. Our ecotherapy sessions may take place on walking trails, under the shade of coast live oaks, or in open pastures where clients engage in guided reflection, quiet, mindfulness practices, and therapeutic conversations with a psychotherapist.

Our work encourages clients to explore their inner world through their relationship with the outer world, and even perhaps challenge the separation. Whether through walking therapy, land-based rituals, or simply being present in a regenerative landscape, ecotherapy offers a grounding, restorative space for healing, insight, and transformation.

At California Woodland Institute, we recognize that the land where we work, heal, and connect is the traditional and unceded territory of the Chumash people. The hills, oak woodlands, and waterways of Ojai have long been cared for by Indigenous peoples who have maintained reciprocal relationships with this land for thousands of years. We see and feel the ongoing impacts of colonization and stand in solidarity with Indigenous-led efforts for land restoration, cultural preservation, and sovereignty.

Healing is not just an individual journey—it is a collective, land-based process. Our equine and ecotherapy practices are rooted in the understanding that the land is alive, responsive, and essential to human well-being. We strive to work in ways that honor the land, respect its history, and contribute to regenerative relationships between people and place.