Eco-art therapy is a holistic and integrated approach to mental health practice. With the guidance of a counselor, clients engage in creative expression using natural art materials and natural environments to produce unique artworks. This method emphasizes mindful engagement in the creative process, helping individuals externalize inner struggles through artistic form, thereby improving psychological, physical, and emotional well-being. The dreamcatcher technique is one form of eco-art therapy. This article presents a case study of an anxious college student to illustrate the process of eco-art therapy. It details specific stages of the counseling process, including material selection, emotional exploration during creation, and self-reflection after completing the artwork. The study not only analyzes the intervention effects of eco-art therapy in this case but also explores its potential mechanisms, such as using natural imagery to promote emotional regulation, reconstructing meaning through artistic symbolism, and enhancing self-efficacy through hands-on practice. Finally, drawing on insights from the case, the article outlines future directions for eco-art therapy and highlights its potential value and application in mental health services for college students and broader populations.
JIN Wenyue
,
TAO Yuxuan
,
YAN Wenhua
. A Case Study of Psychological Counseling for an Anxious College Student Using Eco-art Therapy[J]. Psychological Communications, 2025
, 8(3)
: 257
-264
.
DOI: 10.12100/j.issn.2096-5494.225035
[1] American Art Therapy Association. (2016).Eco-Art Therapy: Deepening Connections with the Natural World. Retrived September 5,2025 from https://arttherapy.org/eco-art-therapy-deepening-connections-natural-world/
[2] Barragan-Jason G., Loreau M., de Mazancourt C., Singer M. C., & Parmesan C. (2023). Psychological and physical connections with nature improve both human well-being and nature conservation: A systematic review of meta-analyses.Bio Conserv, 277, 109842. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109842
[3] Buckley R. C., Cooper M., & Zhong L. (2024). Principal sensory experiences of forest visitors in four countries, for evidence‐based nature therapy.People Nat, 6(6), 2480-2493. doi: 10.1002/pan3.10723
[4] Elkis-Abuhoff D. L., Gaydos M., Poland E., & Sena S. (2022). Exploring the effects of nature-based art therapy on happiness and life satisfaction.The Arts in Psychotherapy, 81, 101966. doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2022.101966
[5] Gao J., Tang L., & Wang J. (2025). Does individuals' pro-environmental behavior in the virtual world influence their perceived human-nature connection? The green consumption effect.Technol Forecast Soc Change, 219, 124296. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124296
[6] Genç, M., & Alkar, O. Y. (2025). The effectiveness of nature-based interventions in combating PTSD: A meta-analysis and systematic review.J Environ Psychol, 102627. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102627
[7] Gulbe E., Ozola A., Vītola B., Akmane E., Pacek J., & Mārtinsone K. (2025). Exploring nature-based art therapy: A scoping review.Fronti Psychol, 16, 1522629. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1522629
[8] Jerwood J., Elliott H., & Wibberley J. (2025). 'I never get this space anywhere else' - the development of outside, alongside - an NHS art therapy group outdoors.Int J Art Ther, 30(1), 5-16. doi: 10.1080/17454832.2024.2403408
[9] Kellert S.R., & Wilson, E. O. (1993). The biophilia hypothesis. Washington, DC: Island Press.
[10] Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework.J Environ Psychol, 15(3), 169-182. doi: 10.1016/0272-4944(95)90001-2
[11] Masterton W., Carver H., Parkes T., & Park K. (2020). Greenspace interventions for mental health in clinical and non-clinical populations: What works, for whom, and in what circumstances?.Health Place, 64, 102338. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102338
[12] Moula Z., Palmer K., & Walshe N. (2022). A systematic review of arts-based interventions delivered to children and young people in nature or outdoor spaces: Impact on nature connectedness, health and wellbeing.Front psychol, 13, 858781. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.858781
[13] Naor, L., & Mayseless, O. (2021). Therapeutic factors in nature-based therapies: Unraveling the therapeutic benefits of integrating nature in psychotherapy.Psychotherapy (Chic), 58(4), 576-590. doi: 10.1037/pst0000396
[14] Oepen, R., & Gruber, H. (2024). Art-based interventions and art therapy to promote health of migrant populations: A systematic literature review of current research.Arts Health, 16(3), 266-284. doi: 10.1080/17533015.2023.2252003
[15] Pike, A. A. (2021). Eco-art therapy in practice (1st; ed.). Routledge. New York. doi: 10.4324/9781003091004
[16] Pritchard A., Richardson M., Sheffield D., & McEwan K. (2020). The relationship between nature connectedness and eudaimonic well-being: A meta-analysis.J Happiness Stud, 21(3), 1145-1167. doi: 10.1007/s10902-019-00118-6
[17] Pischel M., Wüster A. L., Metz K., Wulf H., Lahmann C., & Pfeifer E. (2025). They talk the talk and walk the walk: Psychotherapists' experiences of psychotherapy while walking in nature.Couns Psychother Res, 25(3). doi: 10.1002/capr.70035
[18] Sweeney, T. (2013). Eco-art therapy: Creative activities that let earth teach. Theresa Sweeney.
[19] Ulrich R. S., Simons R. F., Losito B. D., Fiorito E., Miles M. A., & Zelson M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments.J Environ Psychol, 11(3), 201-230.
[20] Vitale, V., & Bonaiuto, M. (2024). The role of nature in emotion regulation processes: An evidence-based rapid review.J Environ Psychol, 96, 102325. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102325
[21] Walshe N., Bungay H., & Dadswell A. (2023). Sustainable outdoor education: Organisations connecting children and young people with nature through the arts.Sustainability, 15(5), 3941. doi: 10.3390/su15053941
[22] Wilson E. O.(1984). Biophilia. Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press.