GT welcomed Matthew Olson in October of 2021, we’ve already introduced him and his abundant skill sets. What you might not know about, is his commitment and passion to sustainable organic farming.

So what do we know about the healing powers of tending to the earth and being outside in nature?

Studies show there are cognitive, psychological, and physiological benefits to spending time in nature, and tending to tasks outside, like gardening and farming. People report feeling happier, nicer, and stronger feelings of connection rather than isolation.

Speaking of connection, now seems like an opportune time to introduce Matthew’s partner in farming and life, Emily Schneider Olson. Emily happens to also be a therapist, and joined the GT team in March 2022. We’re so excited to welcome Emily and will be featuring her soon!

Now, back to more content on why some therapists (especially Matthew & Emily) love farming: Therapists have noticed this emerging research and have started to explore ways of incorporating nature into psychotherapeutic work. Ecotherapy is an umbrella term to encapsulate evidence based and non-evidence based therapeutic practices that focus on engaging with nature as a piece of the therapeutic work. Care farming has similarly taken off in the UK as a form of intervention to treat mental health by engaging with agriculture and farming.

GT has not quite figured out how to blend all of our psychotherapy services with Olson Family Farm, but we’re certainly off to a great start by having the primary farmers as a part of our group. Now go spend some time outside in nature, it’s good for you, we promise.