ABOUT THE LOCATIONS USED FOR THE MINDFULNESS-BASED ECOTHERAPY PROGRAM
Since this program is about utilizing the healing power of nature to make personal change, it is best conducted in an outdoor setting. While some of the sessions can be conducted indoors (especially the earlier sessions dealing with the skills of mindfulness), I prefer to do them all outdoors if possible. Outdoor environments have been demonstrated to produce changes in consciousness not readily available in indoor settings (Van den Berg & Ter Heijne, 2005), so to my way of thinking holding them indoors defeats the purpose. Of course, there will be times when the weather doesn’t cooperate, and during those times it’s a good idea to have a backup plan or to schedule a rain date if you have to cancel. I’ve found that many parks have some sort of shelter that may be used for such purposes. There’s something soothing and meditative about holding a session outdoors under the cover of a shelter as the rain gently patters on the roof.
Because of the outdoor nature of this program, a little finesse is required in planning and scheduling. Since it is a twelve-week program, if you hold sessions once a week you will have covered an approximate three-month span of time. This means that you will have to be aware of local weather patterns when planning your program. The home of the Mindful Ecotherapy Center is in the southern Appalachians of upstate South Carolina. While starting a program in October might be great for taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and the colorful falling leaves, starting such a three-month program at that time would mean that we would be finishing in late December or early January when the weather is freezing outside. Alternately, starting a program at mid-day in the spring might be great, but if we continue to meet at noon for three months, we’ll be experiencing the midsummer heat of the Deep South.
If you’re new to your local area and aren’t sure about the weather patterns, you may wish to consult with the locals in order to determine the best times for your program.
In the past I’ve also done this as a week-long intensive program, doing one session in the morning and one in the afternoon. This allows the entire program to be completed as a one-week retreat; however, I wouldn’t recommend trying to do more than two sessions per day in an intensive format. This is because some of the sessions, if done properly, can be quite intense. People need time to process what they’ve experienced, and doing more than two sessions per day doesn’t allow for such time.
A final word of caution on choosing a location: Safety first! Be aware of any dangerous wild animals that might inhabit the area you’ve chosen. Also note any dangers from the terrain, such as high waterfalls, slippery trails, etc. and have proper liability insurance should accidents happen. You may wish to consult with an attorney to have a waiver drawn up limiting your liability in case of accidents.
Also be on the lookout for dangerous plants like poison ivy, poison oak, stinging nettles and poison sumac. If you don’t know what these look like, consult with someone who does and have them check out the area ahead of time.
If you plan to have any children at your events, caution them about eating the plants. You might also have to warn some adults in this regard. Sometimes participants expect you to be an expert on the local flora and fauna. If you are such an expert, that’s fine. But if you aren’t, it’d be advisable not to allow your participants to eat anything they might find on the trail.
Be aware of potential allergies that your participants might have. Keep a first aid kit with an epi pen and allergy medicines, but be aware of local liability laws regarding distribution of medicines. It may be helpful to ask your participants to be aware of allergens and to plan accordingly.
Finally, I would highly recommend taking a basic first aid course before facilitating any of these programs, or have someone with first aid training available, and have a plan for emergencies when they arise.
Above all else, a good facilitator is one who has experienced the program. If you can attend one of our annual trainings, it is recommended that you do so. If you don’t have the ability to travel to our locations, the facilitator training is also available online at www.mindfulecotherapy.org.
If nothing else, at least work through the program yourself using the workbook or the facilitator manual so that you have a good understanding of what your participants will experience as they attend.
GROUP DYNAMICS
Each group you conduct will have a different dynamic, due to the fact that different groups are made up of different individuals in different times and different places. The Facilitator’s challenge in assessing group dynamics is to determine the level of functioning and engagement for each individual in the group. The discussions and interaction should be simple enough to integrate those who are less engaged while simultaneously being challenging enough to keep the attention of those who are higher-functioning. For inexperienced group facilitators, this can be a difficult balance to strike. It’s often a challenging task even for facilitators with years of experience! One simple way to achieve this balance is to honestly and openly ask the group for feedback and suggestions.
Another challenge for facilitators is to continually monitor for engagement and interaction. A good facilitator will notice those who seem to have withdrawn from the discussion, and will work to actively draw them back in by asking questions or otherwise interacting with them. At the other end of the spectrum, there will be those who attempt to dominate the discussion. Facilitators will also have to watch for these sometimes forceful attempts to take control of the group. This sort of dynamic can be forestalled by gently reminding the instigators that others should also be allowed to speak.
A simple and effective way to insure engagement and participation of all group members is to go around the room and ask each person to respond in turn to a question or exercise. A good way to do this is to plan an ‘icebreaker’ exercise at the beginning of each session. Such an exercise allows the group to transition from the everyday world to the purpose of the gathering by putting aside any other agenda prior to beginning a session. A good icebreaker that allows this transition to happen naturally is to open with a brief grounding and centering meditation. This can be as simple as asking everyone to take three deep breaths before the session begins.
If you have a location that requires a hike from the parking area to the gathering area, you may also use this time by having participants engage in a walking meditation from the parking lot to the site. During this time ask them to ground and center themselves on the way to the gathering.
GROUP MEMBERSHIP
The Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Program is run as a ‘co-ed’ program; meaning that groups are not usually segregated by gender or sex. This is done so that facilitators may observe interactional dynamics among group members in order to challenge difficulties related to rigid gender roles. There may be cases in which groups will have to be segregated (such as a sex offenders group, or a domestic violence offenders group, or a group that meets in a male-only or female-only institution), but unless safety is an issue, it is recommended that groups be co-educational so that students may integrate the lessons more successfully in a group with real-world dynamics. Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy is about setting aside preconceptions and being open to new possibilities, and one of these possibilities is re-thinking gender roles in society and what they mean to the individual.
The ideal group size is from 8 to 12 members. Research has shown that groups larger than 12 members tend to split off into sub-groups, forming coalitions that may challenge the facilitator’s authority. For groups larger than 12 members, a co-facilitator is recommended. Such a co-facilitator can assist in keeping people engaged so that sub-group coalitions do not form as easily. The ideal ratio to maintain, if possible, is one facilitator per 12 group members.
GROUP RULES
In order to run a successful group, the rules should be clear and concise. Facilitators should decide on the group rules before the first session, and review them with the group members. Group rules are up to the facilitator, the institution, and the group participants. It is a good idea to empower students at the first session by including them in the rule-making process. The facilitator should review the rules, and then ask the group if there are any modifications they’d like to make, or any further rules they’d like to suggest.
These rules are then written down, typed up, and distributed at the next session or by email prior to the next session. Facilitators may ask one of the students to keep track of the rules and modifications as the group comes up with them.
SAMPLE GROUP RULES
Here are some rules that you may find useful in planning your groups:
- Confidentiality – Group members should agree to abide by the rule, “What happens in group, stays in group.” Group members agree not to discuss each other’s personal information outside of a group context, and to respect each other’s privacy.
- Safety – Group members should agree not to attack each other verbally or physically while in group, or outside of group.
- Participation – Group members should agree to actively participate in the group, do all the homework assignments, and show up on time.
- Punctuality – Facilitators should honor those who show up on time by starting the group promptly at the advertised time. The ‘Fifteen Minute Rule’ is a good rule of thumb: If a group member is more than fifteen minutes late, it counts as an absence. Remind participants that tardiness causes disruptions to the flow of the group, and is disrespectful to other members of the group.
- Absences – Due to the intensive nature of the program, it is recommended that you establish a firm policy regarding absences. Since each session builds on previous sessions, it is not recommended that participants be allowed more than two consecutive absences.
- Courtesy – Group members should respect each other and the facilitator(s). This includes not interrupting others who are speaking. Facilitators may wish to use a “talking stick” if constant interruption becomes an issue. A talking stick is just a stick or other object that is passed among group members. The rule for using a talking stick is that only the person holding the stick may speak.
These are just some sample rules that will help your program to run more smoothly. Remember that you may revise the rules at any time during the course of the program, and you should solicit suggestions and input from group members prior to making any changes in the rules.
