Invited Plenary Panel Summary International Positive Psychology Association 8th IPPA World Congress 2023

Connecting Nature to Well-Being (#161)

John Zelenski 1 , Holli-Anne Passmore 2 , Kelley Thackeray (Bird-Naytowhow) 3 , Thomas Doherty 4 , Louise Chawla 5
  1. Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
  2. Concordia University of Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  3. , Saskatoon, Canada
  4. Sustainable Self, Portland, OR, United States
  5. University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, United States

This expert panel will bring a conversational approach to connecting nature and well-being. It will address issues such as how spending time in and feeling connected to nature impacts aspects of well-being, the efficacy and key ingredients of nature-based well-being interventions, and how practitioners can integrate nature into their therapeutic practices beyond simply taking clients for walks. We will also explore why it seems that many people underestimate the impact that nature has on well-being.  Most importantly, the panel is a dialogue on how nature can be a pathway to well-being for all, individuals, society, and the natural environment itself, and particularly in the current era of climate crisis.  The panel includes Kelley Bird-Naytowhow, Louise Chawla, Thomas Doherty, Holli-Anne Passmore, and John Zelenski, who collectively bring expertise in the science and practice of ecopsychology, nature connections, nature experiences among youth, and indigenous perspectives. Finally, we invite your questions on these topics for the panel; they can be submitted here: https://tinyurl.com/2vfx7j4y

  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Environment and Nature, Positive emotions, Sustainability