ABSTRACT
My decision to work with nature in outdoor places came after a number of years of working indoors as a non-directive play therapist and was set against a background of experience in outdoor education and work with young people with complex social, mental health and emotional needs. It followed a lot of soul searching. I had had numerous conversations about using the outdoors and yet maintaining ethical standards such as confidentiality and the integrity of the work with a valued colleague and friend of mine. Out of the blue, she sent me an article from the 2010 European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling by Martin Jordan and Hayley Marshall entitled ‘Taking counselling and psychotherapy outside: Destruction or enrichment of the therapeutic frame?’ The article focused on holding the therapeutic frame beyond the therapy room, in natural places, and gave particular consideration to the issue of confidentiality through contracting with the client. Although Jordan and Marshall worked with adult clients, there it was in black and white – other therapists had been working in outdoor places and had explored the ethical issues at some length.
