Green Care: A Conceptual Framework - Frisk i naturen

Neuberger (2007), working with psychiatric patients, gives examples
(pp.157-158) of specific horticultural activities that produce what he calls
“correlating personal experiences”. For example, soil preparation may
induce the psychic experience of a new beginning, a fresh start. In each
of these approaches to therapy, the aim is to encourage clients to connect
with nature and the role of the therapist is to facilitate the client to make
that connection and to perceive it as valuable therapeutically. There is a
therapeutic triangle here: the therapist, the client and connection with the
natural environment are part of the therapy process. In a later section in this
volume, the importance of the quality of the relationship between people in
green care settings will be examined further.
2.4 Defining the construct of care
One of the distinctions that can generally be made between green care
and other activities that people undertake within the natural environment
(walking, rambling, canoeing, mountain biking and so on) is that green care
is intended to provide a range of (sometimes specific) benefits for particular
client groups. Other activities within nature may contribute to people’s
health and well-being in a general way but even if they are organised there
may often be little or no emphasis on ‘care’ and therapeutic outcomes.
Once such activities become focused on helping vulnerable people achieve
specific outcomes they move into the realms of green care.
Green care in all its forms focuses on providing nature-based benefits
for various groups of vulnerable or socially excluded people. There are,
however, differences in the level of ‘care’ provided by different green care
options. Some operate as structured therapy programmes (for example,
horticultural therapy and animal assisted therapy) with clearly stated
patient-orientated goals whilst others aim to deliver more wide-ranging
benefits. However, these too are aimed at specific groups and individuals
rather than at casual participants who may be unaware of the ‘therapeutic’
intent.
Ostensibly, the same medium or environment may be used for both the
specific therapies and for the promotion of broader aims. Animal assisted
therapy, for example, uses contact with animals as a tool for the therapist
to work with individual clients and address particular areas of difficulty,
whilst care farms use animals in the farm setting for wider benefits resulting
from meaningful occupation, opportunities to nurture and so on.
21