Tree-climbing therapy in EuropeFirst European Treeclimbing Therapist

Our CEO Per Wijnands has received the first certification in Europe as a Tree-climbing therapist. The certification recognizes his specific training and the years of experience of our colleague. He got his certification in September 2022 from The Tree-climbing Company (Netherlands).

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Tree climbing can be used as an intervention within Adventure & Nature Therapy. In the here below-described case, Per shows how tree climbing has been used at his job at the Mutsaersstichting (Netherlands):

A youngster with very little self-confidence hides behind his mother at the meeting. After building therapeutic contact and creating a safe environment, we worked little by little to improve his self-confidence.

This eventually resulted in climbing every climbable tree on the property, and more importantly, the creation of a hobby that was also picked up by the system, which means that he now climbs in a weekly basis with his father. Self-confidence has not only improved within the Adventure Therapy Programme but also in the home situation and daily practice. Significant improvements in self-confidence are seen at home, within the system, and at school.

Another client with severe depressive and suicidal complaints as a result of some traumatic experiences still wants to use Adventure Therapy. After building up the therapeutic contact and after a number of sessions, it is decided to go tree climbing. The therapist has built a special construction so that in an emergency the client and the climbing construction can be taken down directly in a controlled manner.

When the client is at a height of 10 meters, he experiences a deep connection with nature, the tree, the leaves, the wind, etc. This resulted in a deep peace that the client only thought to experience the moment death would occur. Up there and on the tree the bad thoughts of the trauma stopped and she could be in the moment without bad memories and thoughts. This may have been a moment for this client to think about a different trajectory besides or instead of an end-of-life clinic…

Do you want to know how to use the possibilities of tree climbing within Adventure Therapy?

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