MIRECC / CoE

New Resource to Help Veterans Engage in Positive and Healthy Nature-Based Activities

Our Clinical Educator Grant program helps VISN 16 and 17 mental health providers create and share resources that improve treatment for rural and other Veterans who face barriers to care. We give these products to Veterans, VA providers, and the public for free. Visit our Clinical Educator Products webpage to access all of our products.

The Great Outdoors: Engaging with Nature for Mental Health

Developers: Austen R. Anderson, PhD

These materials support Veterans by helping them engage in positive and healthy nature-based activities. The materials integrate the science of the benefits of engaging with nature, with the well-established approaches of behavioral activation, mindfulness, and other positive psychology exercises. The clinician manual supports the delivery of a very brief (1-2 session) or brief (3-5) session intervention in a variety of settings. The Veteran guide can be used as part of a clinician-delivered intervention, or as a self-help intervention. The material:

• Provides an overview of the science on the benefits of nature engagement and greenspace exposure.
• Includes an activity to review one's past and current engagement in nature.
• Integrates principles of motivational interviewing to resolve ambivalence.
• Encourages value identification/prioritization and discovering nature-based activities that can support living out those values.
• Uses goal setting, activity scheduling, and behavior monitoring to help Veterans increase their nature engagement.
• Provides links to guided audio exercises, including 5 mindfulness exercises, 1 savoring exercise, and 2 guided imagery exercises.

Last updated: July 28, 2022