Association for Outdoor Therapy Annual Conference: ‘Sharing practices and building perspectives’ in Outdoor Therapy
8-9th November 2025, Plas y Brenin, North Wales
Come join a thriving community of outdoor therapy professionals where we will explore, share, develop, and deepen perspectives across diverse practices of outdoor, nature and adventure-based therapies.
The national conference of the Association for Outdoor Therapy will explore perspectives in the development and application of integrated outdoor therapy practices, that will help to examine different professional landscapes influencing the developments of ethical outdoor therapy practices and the building of a professional outdoor therapy community in the UK.
With a diverse range of presentation topics across a wide range of outdoor workshops in nature, indoor presentations, and main speaker session topics, this is an exciting opportunity to engage, network, reflect and learn with like-minded professionals, in developing understanding and sharing practice, and contributing to the shaping of future developments of outdoor therapy in the UK.
Examples of Outdoor Workshop Topics Include:
- Using the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) model of mindfulness to deepen experiences in nature
- Organic noticing; Self-disclosure and empathetic attunement in outdoor therapy
- CAMHS into the wild - going beyond the clinic: Using the nature well program in child and adolescent mental health services
- How to create a secure base in nature for clients who have insecure attachments
- Relational roots: Cultivating nature's relational power in therapy
- Reach, reflect, restore: Therapeutic bouldering for mind and body
- Using video interaction guidance in the outdoors to strengthen interpersonal relationships by increasing child and care giver attunement.
- Therapy without walls: Taking Clinical Psychology into nature
- Any many more workshop and presentation topics!
The conference will also host a special virtual book launch presentation where you will meet the authors of a new upcoming outdoor therapy publication titled, ‘Individual adventure psychotherapy: An experiential approach to one-on-one treatment’.
- Lunch and refreshments included.
- Accommodation is not included.
Accommodation and Evening Meals – Plas y Brenin National Outdoor Centre
- Evening meals can be booked for £20 extra, using the link above – so even if you are not staying at PyB you can still eat and then join in socially in the evening.
- B&B style rooms and cheaper, bunkhouse style, accommodation options can be booked direct using the link above. There will be limited availability so book early to avoid disappointment.
There are lots of alternative accommodation options in the region: YHA, B&B’s, hotels, bunkhouses, camping, etc.
Book early to avoid disappointment!
Call for Presenters:
We are calling for presenters to share their knowledge and experiences under the following themes: • Programmes & Practice: Sharing innovation and developments of outdoor therapy programmes, approaches, and practices to help celebrate and understand outdoor therapy in action. • Professionalism: Sharing topics on professional standards, ethics, and challenges in developing ethical and effective outdoor therapy practices. • Research and Theory: Sharing understanding of theoretical, research or evaluation approaches, or research studies and findings, that contribute to outdoor therapy being a more recognised and credible approach.
Here are some of the presenters:
Avril Leonard
William Berisch Secretan
