Branching out: the impact of a mental health ecotherapy program

Wilson, N. W., Jones, R., Fleming, S., Lafferty, K., Knifton, L., Cathrine, K. and McNish, H. (2011) Branching out: the impact of a mental health ecotherapy program. Ecopsychology, 3(1), pp. 51-57. (doi: 10.1089/eco.2010.0049)

Abstract

Branching Out is a national-award-winning program developed by The Forestry Commission Scotland and The National Health Service. For each client, the program consists of ∼3 hrs of ecotherapy per week in outdoor woodland settings. Clients work together in small groups of 6–12 for a 12-week period. The program was evaluated using a repeated measures design. The independent variable was “attendance of the program,” of which there were two levels. The dependent variables were scores on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), the SF-12v2TM Health Survey, and the Scottish Physical Activity Questionnaire (SPAQ). Repeated measures t-tests were used to examine pre- to postchange in the dependent variables. There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-WEMWBS or SF-12v2TM Health Survey scores, indicating that attendance of Branching Out did not have any significant effect on mental well-being or general health. Attendance of Branching Out significantly improved physical activity levels as evidenced by significantly higher postintervention SPAQ scores from baseline. The implications for practice are discussed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Jones, Dr Russell
• Authors: Wilson, N. W., Jones, R., Fleming, S., Lafferty, K., Knifton, L., Cathrine, K., and McNish, H.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Ecopsychology
• Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert
• ISSN: 1942-9347
• ISSN (Online): 1942-9347