Reconnect With Nature. Reconnect With Yourself.
Life’s fast pace, emotional overwhelm, and the pressures of modern living can make it feel like you’ve lost your sense of grounding. When anxiety, trauma, or emotional disconnection take hold, it can be hard to find your way back to balance.
Nature-Informed Therapy offers a path forward.
Jennifer Bearden, LCSW, Psychotherapist, offers a truly unique approach to healing: Nature-Informed Therapy. Based in beautiful Bend, Oregon, where towering pines and snow-capped mountains offer daily invitations to reconnect, Jennifer helps clients tap into the restorative power of nature to support emotional wellness. Whether you're walking the trails of Central Oregon or tuning into the natural rhythms from a distance, this therapy is available in person in Bend and virtually throughout Oregon, California, and New York.
What Is Nature-Informed Therapy?
Nature-Informed Therapy is a healing approach grounded in the idea that humans are not separate from nature, but part of it. Unlike traditional talk therapy, this method intentionally incorporates elements of the natural world into the therapeutic process.
As a certified Nature-Informed Therapist trained by the Center for Nature-Informed Therapy (CNIT), Jennifer blends psychological frameworks with deep ecological awareness. It’s not simply going for a walk outdoors. It’s about engaging with the natural environment as an active partner in your healing journey.
Whether conducted outdoors, inside an office, or virtually, Nature-Informed Therapy uses metaphors, nature-based mindfulness, body-based techniques, and somatic awareness to help you explore emotions, process trauma, and return to a grounded state of being.
Jennifer is one of only a handful of certified CNIT-trained clinicians nationwide, and currently the only one offering this approach in Oregon.
What Conditions Can Nature-Informed Therapy Treat?
Nature-Informed Therapy can be a powerful method for addressing a wide range of mental health concerns, especially those where traditional approaches have left clients feeling stuck. Jennifer often works with individuals facing:
- Anxiety and chronic stress
- Trauma and PTSD
- Depression
- Life transitions and identity shifts
- Grief and loss
- Burnout and disconnection
- Adjustment to health changes or caregiving roles
- Spiritual disconnection or existential questions
This method is especially effective for individuals who feel drawn to nature, are somatically inclined, or feel that standard therapy has fallen short in helping them regulate and heal at a deeper level.
What Can I Expect During Nature Therapy?
Your journey begins with a collaborative exploration of your unique history, challenges, and goals. From there, Jennifer tailors the process to suit your needs, whether sessions are conducted in-person in Bend or virtually from your own corner of nature.
In-person sessions may take place inside the office, while walking a trail, sitting under the shade of a tree, or simply being present in a peaceful outdoor setting. These sessions use the landscape not as a backdrop, but as an integral part of the work.
Virtual sessions still engage nature as a healing element through visualization, nature-inspired practices, somatic techniques, and mindful attention to the sensory environment, even from your backyard or balcony.
Expect a slower pace, deeper embodiment, and a felt sense of connection that invites calm, clarity, and self-trust. The process often incorporates tools like grounding exercises, eco-based rituals, and guided reflection to help you process emotions that might otherwise stay buried.
What Should I Look for in a Nature-Informed Therapist?
Because Nature-Informed Therapy is a specialized approach, training and experience matter. In addition to being a certified Nature-Informed Therapist, Jennifer Bearden brings over two decades of experience in both medical and behavioral health settings. Her work is backed by extensive certifications in EMDR, IFS, trauma treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, and now, Nature-Informed Therapy through CNIT.
What sets Jennifer apart is her holistic, relational style. She integrates depth-oriented approaches with body-based techniques to help clients move beyond coping to thriving. With compassion, clinical expertise, and a deep reverence for the healing power of nature, she guides clients toward a more rooted and authentic life.
Learn More About Our Nature-Informed Therapy
If you’re ready to step into healing that goes beyond four walls, Nature-Informed Therapy with Jennifer Bearden, LCSW, may be the path for you. Sessions are offered in-person in Bend, Oregon, and virtually across Oregon, California, and New York. Let nature help guide you back to balance and schedule a consultation today.