I was reflecting on my interest both in nature and in
gardening and how many parallels there are for my coaching and counselling
work. When I am in the garden or,
indeed, in nature, I am often thinking through or ‘processing’ my ideas about the
events in my life or other peoples’ lives and trying to make sense of them or
simply accept them. Nature is as ever-changing
as we are, and by tuning in and observing the shift e.g. to different seasons
or the survival of a plant, we can see the interconnections in our lives. There is learning and solace to be gained from
deepening this connection.
Indeed, from my own experience of grieving, I was aware of
how much comfort I drew from working in the garden and thinking about my family’s
roots, while digging amongst the roots of plants and flowers. It helped to be physically active to work
through some of the pain of the loss. I
also saw hope for the future and how, by investing time in sowing a seed or
planting a bulb, new life emerged. This
renewal of nature slowly shifted something in me, and I found that, over time,
I was much better able to live with my loss.
There seems to be a zeitgeist at present for using gardens
and nature to aid understanding of the inner world and to improve our mental
wellbeing. Professor Tim Lang of the
Centre for Food Policy at City University, London, says it’s widely recognised
that regular contact with plants, animals and the natural environment can
improve our physical health and mental wellbeing. When we grow food and flowers, we’re engaging
with the natural world at a pace that provides a welcome antidote to the
stresses of modern life.
Yet, even with an increasing body of evidence, particularly
from the medical profession, when does nature get used in the coaching or
counselling room? My experience of both coaching
and counselling is that they are delivered in traditional ways in a room/office.
And there are good, practical reasons
why this should be the case, not least to ensure confidentiality. However, when you stop and listen to the
language of a coach or counsellor there are numerous references to
nature/gardening like:
- · Sowing the seeds
- · Germination (of an idea)
- · Nurture
- · New/green shoots
- · Change in conditions
- · Climate (or culture), micro-climate
- · Adapting to the environment
- · Feeding, watering, caring for new ideas (or plants)
- · Managing negative thoughts/ getting rid of the weeds
It is ironic that one of the most popular frameworks for
coaching is GROW – developed by John Whitmore in the 1980s - it stands for
Goals, Reality, Options and Way Forward.
Nature is one of the best examples of how to grow! Wouldn’t it be good to form a much better
connection between nature and coaching/counselling as they fit so well
together? This is something that I am
starting to do.
As well as working on the coaching/counselling spectrum, I
am building an understanding of nature into my work and hope shortly to be able
to announce some training for coaches or counsellors on ideas to take forward
into their practice. Equally, individuals
seeking to deepen their self-awareness would also benefit from attending this course. A quote from one of our greatest thinkers,
Albert Einstein, shows an insight into the powerful learning that can be gained
by staying connected to nature.
‘Look deep into
nature, and you will understand everything better’.
If you are interested in attending a course or having a 1:1
coaching or counselling session then please contact me on:
margaretwalshcoach@gmail.com.
