Parks as Places of Healing: What It Takes to Turn Nature Into Real Support

Watercolor scenes of nature-informed support: group grounding, quiet rest, and shared connection outdoors—three ways parks can become places of healing.

We’re living through a paradox.

More people than ever recognize that nature helps. We feel it in our bodies when we step outside: the breath slows, shoulders drop, the mind settles. And yet, at the same time, our collective mental health needs are rising: stress, trauma, grief, anxiety, and burnout are becoming normal parts of daily life.

If “just getting outside” were enough, we wouldn’t be where we are.

What we’re facing isn’t a single problem. It’s a convergence of several forces that reinforce each other, and it’s pushing communities, workplaces, and care systems to a breaking point.

The issue we’re facing as a society

1) We’re disconnected, from nature and from each other

Many of us spend most of our lives indoors, behind screens, and inside routines that leave little room for genuine connection. That disconnection isn’t only environmental; it’s relational. We’re more isolated, more fragmented, and less practiced at the kinds of supportive relationships that help people regulate stress and recover after adversity.

2) Mental health needs are rising

Trauma, burnout, and chronic stress aren’t limited to clinical settings. They’re showing up in schools, parks, workplaces, hospitals, community centers, and families. People are carrying more than they have language for, more than they know how to metabolize on their own.

3) We have a shortage of supports, and limits to “business as usual”

There aren’t enough mental health professionals to meet the demand. Many people don’t know where to start, don’t have access, or feel stigma around seeking support. And even when therapy is available, traditional “talk therapy” can have limitations, especially when someone’s nervous system is stuck in survival mode. Insight matters, but so do practical tools: grounding, regulation, and embodied coping skills that work in real time.

4) We know nature helps, but showing up isn’t always enough

Nature can be deeply therapeutic, but it isn’t automatically therapy.

A walk in the woods may reduce stress in the short term, but it won’t necessarily help someone process trauma, repair a long-standing pattern of disconnection, or build the skills needed to navigate intense emotions. In fact, for some people, nature can bring up anxiety, vulnerability, or memories, especially if they don’t have tools for safety and regulation.

Nature becomes most effective when it’s paired with professional guidance and therapeutic tools: practices that help people work with their internal experience, not just escape it.

5) Helpers in “non-traditional” settings often feel unprepared

This is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle.

Park staff, outdoor educators, community leaders, coaches, faith leaders, and other helping professionals are increasingly encountering people who are struggling, sometimes in visible distress. Yet many of these helpers feel ill-equipped to respond. They may have deep care and strong values, but not the training to support someone who is dysregulated, traumatized, grieving, or overwhelmed.

Communities need support where people already are, but we can’t responsibly expand access without equipping the people who will hold that space.

Where CNIT comes in

At the Center for Nature Informed Therapy (CNIT), our mission sits right at this intersection: nature is powerful, but people need tools,and communities need trained helpers.

We help translate what research and lived experience both suggest: nature supports wellbeing best when it’s paired with trauma-informed principles, evidence-based practices, and a strong social component.

Here’s how we do that.

1) We train mental health professionals to integrate nature into day-to-day care

Many clinicians want to bring nature into their practice, but aren’t sure how to do it ethically, safely, or effectively. CNIT provides training that helps mental health professionals:

• Integrate nature-informed practices into clinical work (indoors or outdoors)

• Use nature as a supportive context for regulation, resilience, and meaning-making

• Apply trauma-informed principles in real-world settings

• Expand access to care beyond the office, while maintaining professional standards

This helps close the gap between what we know is helpful and what’s actually available.

2) We train non–mental health helping professionals to leverage nature with evidence-based guidance

Communities don’t only need more clinicians. They need more capable helpers, people who can respond with calm, grounded presence and practical tools.

CNIT supports non–mental health helping professionals by teaching:

• Simple, trauma-aware skills for grounding and stress regulation

• How to hold supportive conversations without “becoming the therapist”

• When to refer, and how to create safe boundaries

• How to use nature-based practices responsibly (not just inspirationally)

This expands community capacity in a way that is sustainable, ethical, and realistic.

3) We bring therapeutic principles into the landscape through Therapeutic Pathways

Imagine a park or garden that doesn’t just offer beauty, but offers guidance.

A Therapeutic Pathway is a thoughtfully designed route that incorporates evidence-informed prompts and practices that support:

• Grounding and nervous system regulation

• Reflection and meaning-making

• Connection and belonging (the social component matters)

• Simple skills people can take into daily life

Therapeutic Pathways can be installed in parks, gardens, campuses, and community spaces, meeting people where they already go, and offering more than “fresh air.” They offer structure, skills, and support.

When paired with trained staff, community programming, or clinician partnerships, they can become a practical, low-barrier bridge between nature and mental health support.

A recent Washington Post story (Dec 24, 2025) underscored why this matters now: communities are turning to parks and nature-based settings for support when traditional systems are stretched.

A practical invitation

If you’re a donor, partner organization, or community leader, you may be asking a simple question:

What does it look like to build real capacity, not just awareness?

For CNIT, it looks like training the people who serve others, expanding access responsibly, and designing spaces that help people practice regulation and connection in everyday life.

If this resonates, there are a few meaningful ways to help:

• Support scholarships so more helpers can be trained

• Sponsor a training cohort for clinicians or community helpers

• Partner on a Therapeutic Pathway in a park, garden, or campus

• Bring CNIT to your organization for training, wellbeing programming, or collaboration

When we invest in tools, training, and thoughtfully designed spaces, nature becomes more than a nice idea. It becomes a reliable support, woven into the fabric of community life.