Self-care Series: Nature Art Therapy
with Cath Lim
Art as a tool has the power to extend our capabilities beyond what we were born with. De Botton & Armstrong
Nature Art is a form of language. It is a language familiar with the body albeit often became a lost skill as we developed. Therefore, we use Nature Art therapy as a modality to communicate with the body which is usually not understood by the mind.
As a human develops, our needs become more complex. Alongside societal approved behaviours, stress starts to accumulate. With no available outlet, compounded stress can lead to detrimental impairment of our growth. When left unmanaged, this can lead to more severe mental and emotional consequence such as depression and an overall decline in health.
Art and nature are two powerful resources that have been proven to provide safe and neutral spaces for humans to express ourselves without the fear of being judged. We are constantly humbled to seen how each session delivers the much needed respite for stressed out urbanites in need of recalibration.
How does the series work?
It is a progressive sessions, similar to counselling therapy where Cath will personally work alongside you (or your juniors) to establish goals and discuss your progress as you explore ways to rediscover yourself. At The Plant Story, we categorise them into 3 stages - Immerse, Rejuvenate, Heal using our 7-dimensions of wellness wheel as goals.
Different from our regular workshops, this is a deeper dive into self with reflections captured as a personal progress at the end of each session. While we will still have our fair share of fun and laughter, this is goal-oriented. You can treat this as a time of self-discovery to uncover persona hurdles or simply as a scheduled treat to learn a variety of crafts as you immerse in nature.
For juniors, parents are usually surprised their unmet needs can be very similar to that of an adult. However, our approach for the workshops will be Play, Discover and Embrace as children learn best through adaptable play, laughs with an inquiring mind before they feel comfortable to express themselves emotionally.
The framework |Each session is about 90 mins. And depending on how you progress, you can add sessions along the way. Followed are some of the possible activities that can take place based on individual’s needs and goals.
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Session 1 - Hello Nature
This is the introduction session of the therapy where we will discover the wonders of nature and art therapy; we will be establishing goals and introducing ourselves to each other. We will start with creating our own nature journal and learn the significance of keeping a journal with us to track our progress.
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Session 2: Immerse
In this session we will be going into nature to discover the power of nature, otherwise known as forest bath or shinrinyoku, 森林浴 established in Japan in 1982. Even if you have participated in our Nature Bath Immersion, you will be pleasantly surprised what you will discover during this session. We will do our reflection on our Nature Journal and end with a Tea Ceremony.
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Session 3: Rejuvenate
Depending on your needs, we may use continue to use Nature Bath Immersion as the backdrop or a hands-on workshop-based activity to help you align your goals. The purpose here is to establish a sustainable and safe routine for you to cultivate a curious mindset you can practice on your own after the program completion.
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Session 4: Heal
In this last session, we will take a look at what we have learned over the past sessions as we put everything together. We will discuss your established routines and explore the need for improvement or added sessions.
We will wrap up this entire experience with your own reflections in your Nature Journal.
How do we charge?
$195
per session for a singular booking
or
$165
per session for a series of 4
What does each session include?
90 mins one-on-one private session
Includes all materials required per session
Participant will bring home everything made during the sessions as well as a hand-crafted nature journal with personal reflections to continue the journey.
Some of the wonderful creations by our clients
Abstract Art to Express Inner Emotions
Self-identity Through Pebble Painting
Setting Intention Through Seed Germination
Setting Goals Through Eco-Art
Reflection Through Nature Painting
Narrating Beliefs Through Miniature Garden
Cath Lim
Lead Therapist/Learning Experience Facilitator
Certified Practicing Horticulturist/Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide/Certified in Art Therapy & Practical Counselling/BA in Counselling (on-going)
About The Trainer
I have been extremely privileged to be trained on both ends of the spectrum - as an art graduate, certified in practical counselling and art therapy student as well as a certified practicing horticulturist and a certified nature and forest therapy guide.
The Plant Story was established in 2009 to fuse my passion for art and nature into one with the intention of helping urbanites reconnect with nature in a beautiful way. My experience to guiding and leading urbanites across all age groups constantly remind me I have a bigger role to play beyond just facilitating nature-based workshops. I trained professionally in art therapy, horticulture therapy and counselling because I believe art and nature are two very powerful forms of healing and therapy, not how good one can become as an artist or gardener.
This is a very personalised program I have put together from my 15 years of experience facilitating across all age groups which will be extremely beneficial for anyone ready to look inward through art and nature.