Holos Institute is the first and oldest ecopsychology-oriented counselling center in the country; An approach that is increasingly sought after as we strive to reconnect and rebuild our damaged relationship to nature, ecopsychology underscores the vital role of nature in human health and seeks to heal the damaged human-nature relationship. Ecopsychology offers a philosophical ground for deeper understanding of human problems and practical approaches for healing and transformation.Recent books such as Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods, and Johanna Macy, Active Hope have brought attention to the widespread implications of our broken relationship to nature — both for individuals and the collective — as well as expanded our awareness of how we can heal it. Ecotherapy is one path towards this healing, one which views the human mind and body as inseparable from our relationship to nature and the whole web of life.
Applied ecopsychology, sometimes called “ecotherapy” is a practice that aligns our human selves with the natural world. It is a path of re-connecting the human with an essential, rooted connection to place, a restoration of comfort in nature as well as a remembrance of our inherent (“in the bones”) wisdom. It is a facilitation of restoring human nature to a grounded, soul-full connection to our-selves and all of our relations. It can be as simple as talking time to be in nature, be it an urban park or a wilderness setting. It can also mean applying mindfulness practices, somatic exercises or ritual in the natural world.
The name “Holos” is derived from the Greek term for wholeness. Holos Institute re-envisions the therapeutic process to include mind, body and spirit as well as the living community of which we are all a part. We honor the diverse human cultural heritage of our ancestors and that which we know as the natural world: the plants, animals and living Earth upon which we all depend. We seek to integrate practices of ancient and contemporary therapeutic arts, attuning to the uniqueness of each individual, as we help them navigate towards wholeness and creativity in fulfilling their life purpose.
Our vision for therapy is to integrate the wisdom of an ecologically based psychology into practical clinical practices that serve to restore balance to the mind, body and spirit, and generate kindness toward the greater community in which we live.