
Desert–CAMFT
presents
in collaboration with the Central Coast chapter
with Rev. Connie L. Habash, LMFT
Friday, August 22, 2025
9:30am-11:30am
Online Via Zoom
(link will be provided in confirmation and reminder emails)
2 CE Credits

Description
Nature immersion is a deeply healing, transformative experience for many of us. Recent studies affirm this, showing that mindful time spent outdoors can profoundly increase our well-being. There are physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual benefits to time spent in nature. It slows us down, returns us to the present moment, soothes our nervous system, shifts our perspective, and connects us to something larger than our individual selves.
Ecotherapy is a process of healing and transformation through connection with the natural world. Although it is usually done outdoors, Ecotherapy can also be brought inside the counseling office in a variety of ways. Through experiential, metaphorical, and conceptual ways, nature can inform and guide therapy sessions, sometimes with surprising synchronicities. Being outdoors in nature offers us unique insights, growth, and renewal that aren’t available inside the four walls of our offices or online.
Join us in an afternoon of Ecotherapy, where you will experience these gifts of “nature as the co-therapist”, supporting your journey of healing and growth, and learn applications for clients in your own therapy practice, both indoors and outside.
Educational Goals
The goal of this program is for participants to be able to understand what Ecotherapy is, its benefits to clients, appropriate client populations to practice ecotherapy with, how to create a meaningful Ecotherapy experience, safety and legal concerns with Ecotherapy, and practical applications of Ecotherapy techniques indoors and outdoors. Experiential exercises in nature (from each participant’s remote location) will be the focal point of this workshop.
Learning Objectives
In successfully completing and attending this presentation, participants will be able to:
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Name at least 3 benefits of Ecotherapy.
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Explain the difference between "Walk and Talk" therapy and Ecotherapy.
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Identify safety considerations for outdoor practice of Ecotherapy.
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Conceptualize at least 2 indoor Ecotherapy practices.
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Know how to structure an Ecotherapy session in nature and identify at least 2 outdoor Ecotherapy practices.
Presenter
Rev. Connie L. Habash, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, ecotherapist, yoga & meditation teacher, interfaith minister, and author of Awakening from Anxiety: A Spiritual Guide to Living a More Calm, Confident, and Courageous Life. Over the last 31 years, she has helped thousands of students and clients overcome stress, anxiety, depression, and spiritually awaken. Rev. Connie is passionate about deepening personal growth and spirituality through nature. She creates a safe, heart- centered, nurturing space to awaken, grow, and serve the planet in her online community, Awakening Women of the Earth (AWE), as well as her other online programs, in-person retreats, workshops, private practice, and ecotherapy sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Discover more at her website: https://www.AwakeningSelf.com/.
Cost/Registration
$25 Desert-CAMFT Members
$15 for Prelicensed Members
$35 for Non-members or Guests
Closing date for registration is Thursday, August 21, 2025.
Questions
Please email Chaundra Prehara, Director of Events at chaundraprehara@yahoo.com.