Shaping the future of the arts therapies: In a climate emergency

Gary Nash; Vanessa Jones

doi:10.1386/jaah_00205_1

Shaping the future of the arts therapies: In a climate emergency

Gary Nash
, Vanessa Jones

School of Creative Arts

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article argues that nature-based therapies support the practitioner’s attunement and sensitivity to the environments they work in. This has the effect of
enhancing a human to other-than-human understanding from an eco-psychological
viewpoint. The authors describe environmental arts therapy as a particular ecological and nature-based approach that also places climate awareness within its creative and therapeutic development. The radical roots of art therapy in Britain are
revisited as the authors consider the power of art to support change and to face
climate injustice within a psychologically and socially/economically aware practice. The article concludes that the combined effect of working outdoors, engaging
creatively with changing environments and viewing the arts therapies through
an ecological and social justice lens frames the future of art therapy in a climate
emergency

Original language	English
Article number	2
Pages (from-to)	263-275
Number of pages	14
Journal	Journal of Applied Arts & Health
Volume	16
Issue number	2-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1386/jaah_00205_1
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2025

Keywords

environmental arts therapy activism artivism social justice climate crisis ecological and naturebased therapy ecopsychology

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10.1386/jaah_00205_1

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title = "Shaping the future of the arts therapies: In a climate emergency ",

abstract = "This article argues that nature-based therapies support the practitioner{\textquoteright}s attunement and sensitivity to the environments they work in. This has the effect of enhancing a human to other-than-human understanding from an eco-psychological viewpoint. The authors describe environmental arts therapy as a particular ecological and nature-based approach that also places climate awareness within its creative and therapeutic development. The radical roots of art therapy in Britain are revisited as the authors consider the power of art to support change and to face climate injustice within a psychologically and socially/economically aware practice. The article concludes that the combined effect of working outdoors, engaging creatively with changing environments and viewing the arts therapies through an ecological and social justice lens frames the future of art therapy in a climate emergency",

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author = "Gary Nash and Vanessa Jones",

note = "Gary Nash, Dip. AT, MAAT, EAT Cert, has over thirty years of art therapy experience. He is a BAAT- and HCPC-registered supervisor, registered private practitioner and teacher. Gary has been working with art and drama therapists in developing training and professional development in the practice of environmental arts therapy over the past ten years. He is the co-founder of the London Art Therapy Centre and a coordinator of Environmental Arts Therapy UK (EATUK). He runs environmental arts therapy workshops in London through EATUK and the University of Hertfordshire. Gary is the co-editor of Environmental Arts Therapy: Wild Frontiers of the Heart (Routledge, 2020).",

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AB - This article argues that nature-based therapies support the practitioner’s attunement and sensitivity to the environments they work in. This has the effect of enhancing a human to other-than-human understanding from an eco-psychological viewpoint. The authors describe environmental arts therapy as a particular ecological and nature-based approach that also places climate awareness within its creative and therapeutic development. The radical roots of art therapy in Britain are revisited as the authors consider the power of art to support change and to face climate injustice within a psychologically and socially/economically aware practice. The article concludes that the combined effect of working outdoors, engaging creatively with changing environments and viewing the arts therapies through an ecological and social justice lens frames the future of art therapy in a climate emergency

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Shaping the future of the arts therapies: In a climate emergency

Abstract

Keywords

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