Course Code
AdvEco
Qualification
Certificate
Mode
Mixed-mode, intensives and online study
Duration
6 months
Advanced Certificate in Holistic Ecotherapy
Course Coordinator: Geoff Berry
An immersive, interactive training that enables you to incorporate Ecotherapy into your daily life and practice. Certified by the International Ecopsychology Society and delivered by PACFA Registered Academic Dr Geoff Berry and a team of ecotherapists.
Suitable for:
- Practitioners or therapists who want to incorporate Ecotherapy into their practice;
- People who seek to deepen their connection to nature in a real and ongoing way;
- Those who want to explore the healing and empowering potential of truly belonging to the earth; and
- People who know they are missing deeper relationships with our animal, plant and elemental kin on earth and beyond.
Delivery: Practitioners will learn how to apply Ecotherapy with their clients, online over six months and face-to-face at an immersive retreat on Country, with like-minded practitioners.
Interactive: Participants will be supported to explore their intimate relationship with nature in their own unique and personal way, as they immerse themselves more deeply in the world of Ecotherapy.
Accessible: Online classes discuss core themes, foundational and current ideas in the field of Ecotherapy, as well as the ancestral traditions that inform us today.
Transformational: Guided meditations shift participants into highly receptive states and additional exercises are offered, so that participants can practice by themselves or with others in the natural environment that is available to them.
Cost
Become a Certified Ecotherapist this year for $4950
Cost includes 5-day ecoretreat!
(*NB: Metavision students and graduates attract a 10% discount)
Please see also the Introduction to Holistic Ecotherapy course here.
Modules & Dates - details - first Tuesday evening of the month, 7.00 - 9.00 pm
| Module 1 Welcome Back to Nature, Welcome Back to Self | TBC |
| Module 2 Deepening Connections with Ancestral Wisdom | TBC |
| Module 3 Safety, Trauma, Neuroscience and Plasticity | TBC |
| Module 4 Depth Psychology and Awakening | TBC |
| Module 5 Belonging, Post-colonisation | TBC |
| Module 6 Initiation, Ritual, Ceremony | TBC |
| Immersive Retreat (additional training, practical exercises and assessment for Practitioners) | TBC |
Practitioner Training and Assessments: third Tuesday evening of the month, 7.00-9.00pm (except during the retreat and the follow up integration session).
| TBC |
Community Topics and workshops include:
ALL PARTICIPANTS:
- Deep listening to nature, learning to 'tune in' for its lessons and messages
- Exploring kinship with other animals and plants in our ecosystem
- Elemental connections, such as working with earth, fire, water and air spirits
- Indigenous wisdom, both across cultures and in the timeless sense that we are all born of the earth and retain knowledge of its powers
- Geoff's presentations on western myth and symbol, depth psychology, contemplative practices and ecstatic mysticism
- Teachings on getting ourselves into the open space of endless possibility between all of these approaches
- Guided Meditations, designed specifically by Geoff to tune participants into a more receptive space
- Navigating post-colonial guilt and avoiding anthropocentric tendencies.
PRACTITIONERS - Additional Training:
- Differentiations between ecotherapy (for all) and ecopsychotherapy (specific training for practitioners)
- Creating safety, for both client and practitioner, when working with nature
- Practical tips for working with clients online, individually or in breakout rooms
- Assessments and feedback throughout the course and on the Immersive Retreat.
Immersive Retreat In the natural outdoor environment
ALL PARTICIPANTS:
- The Immersive Retreat, with a circle of like-minded participants in a beautiful environment, offers us the opportunity to explore ceremonial practices that remind us to celebrate life in our human bodies, together. These include:
- Sunrise Ceremony, to ground the inspirational power of the Sun in our bodies and minds at dawn
- Creating a Temenos, or Sacred Space, for the work
- Sit Spot awareness practice, to build relationship with Spirit of Place
- Geoff's Wavelength Drop, which invites participants to experience their own intelligence as part of a living being, Gaia
- The Evolutionary Animal, an experiential journey that immerses us in the Cosmic Walk of deep time and frees us up to dance whichever animal spirit enters the space for us
- Group and team work - building a Spirit House together
- Storytelling and singing together under the stars
PRACTITIONERS - Additional Training:
- Walking therapy, as a core practice, with clients, in nature
- Practice with clients and receive real time debrief, feedback and support
- Apply practices with clients in nature - guiding Sit Spots, facilitating exercises etc
Sacred Space Supportive and nurturing
ALL PARTICIPANTS:
- The Temenos, or sacred space, invites participants into a relationship with each other and the more-than-human, in a circle of sharing and mutual respect
- The sacred space supports awareness of subtle sensations, synchronicity, epiphanies, and gnosis: that inner knowing that promotes gentle awakenings as well as profound transformation
- Along with deepening awareness of, and connection to, the elements of nature, Geoff guides participants to open themselves as much as they can allow, to see what appears for them
- The teaching space will include a strong focus on safety for all participants, as well as open exploration in a non-judgemental and confidential atmosphere
- We will build an Altar, to bring our connection to nature into our hearts every day
- Debrief is offered by members of the teaching team, at the end of each session and wherever it is called for
PRACTITIONERS - Additional Training:
- Inviting the healing powers of nature into the therapeutic relationship
- Working with more-than-human players in a therapeutic alliance
- Guiding clients to create their own rituals for connection, guidance, support and empowerment
This course will deepen your connection to nature in a way that can be successfully integrated into your everyday life. The experiential exercises are designed for all, while therapists and practitioners will gain from additional training and assessment.
Immersive Retreat
The immersive experience is where everything comes together. Working with others in a sacred circle will deepen your connection to nature and others, in a way that nourishes the inner self at the same time. Participants in Geoff's previous ecoretreats have been glowing about the way their lives have been immeasurably enhanced. Emerging practitioners have begin to include ecotherapy in their practices with incredible, life-changing results. Join us for the next training!
Accomodation & Food
The retreat is fully catered with delicious and nutritious vegetarian fare, including three meals a day and morning and afternoon teas. It features a variety of accommodation options, including indoor bedrooms and camping under the stars around the campfire.
Presenter
About Dr Geoff Berry
Dr Geoff Berry is the Australian representative to the International Ecopsychology Society.
Geoff is currently Academic Director for Metavision’s Masters in Holistic Psychotherapy. He is editor of PAN: Philosophy Activism Nature and lectures in ecopsychotherapy for the Ikon Institute. Geoff was awarded his PhD (Monash University 2010) for a thesis that explored the human relationship with nature, as told through light as a vehicle of consciousness. He also completed an MA (Deakin University 2005) about how our dreams link us to powerful mythic patterns. Geoff served as Chairperson of the Melbourne Zen Group (2005-2008) and more recently as the inaugural CEO of the South Coast NSW Aboriginal Elders group (2019-2020). He regularly presents and publishes on ecotherapy, myth, dreams and symbology and blogs at www.naturecalling.org