Kate Drake
Kate Drake is a eco psychology practitioner qualifying from the Natural Academy in 2020. Kate has spent her professional career supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing within the field of health and social care. She has worked for a number of different organisations within the charitable sector including British Red Cross, CRI, Addaction and currently works for South Downs National Park Authority. She has worked with a diverse range of people providing support to those experiencing mental health issues, substance misuse, people within the criminal justice system, elderly, adults and young people. She is interested in bridging the gap between the clinical model and the natural model of wellness and hence her move towards, and enthusiasm for, working with people within the realm of nature connection.
Siân Jones
Siân Jones is an ecotherapist and integrative arts psychotherapist. Siân has been working therapeutically with adults and young people for the last twenty years, she has also designed and facilitated training workshops and therapeutic groups both locally and internationally. She has recently finished a two year contract with the South Downs National Park as their Families Outreach Officer. She is now a NatureWell trainer and tutor with Natural Academy on their Advanced Pathway courses in Ecopsychology. Siân is fascinated with myth and story and it was studying with mythologists Martin Shaw and Sharon Blackie that reawakened her connection with the natural world. It was that reawakening that led her to study with the Natural Academy in 2018. Siân currently offers therapy and supervision either outside in woodland, in a yurt or on zoom.
Kate and Siân have facilitated NatureWell wellbeing courses for NHS staff in Sussex and Kent as part of a Centre for Sustainable Healthcare initiative in partnership with The Natural Academy. They are currently delivering NatureWell for NHS staff in Surrey as part of a green social prescribing initiative.
"I found the boundaried space for the course really helpful. I noticed how my creativity had been impacted by stress and how important it is to be outside and feel the wind on my face."
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