Should CAMHS Go Wild?
So I spent my Saturday lunchtime watching a webinar called ‘CAMHS Goes Wild’ provided by the Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. I know it sounds a bit like a big Friday night out but, unfortunately (or fortunately?), it's actually about how CAMHS services can use nature to support young people's mental health. You might be thinking. "Nature? My teen barely looks up from TikTok, let alone a tree." And I get it—but keep an open mind.
We all know that CAMHS are, to put it mildly, under the cosh. Waiting lists longer than your arm, stretched resources, and young people struggling. That is to say nothing about the mental health of individiaul practitioners themselves. Burnout for CAMHS clinicians is a major contribution to why the system itself is struggling. So, we need to think outside the box, right?
That's where ‘CAMHS Goes Wild’ comes in. It's about getting young people outside. Literally. Into green spaces, working with animals, all that jazz. The webinar was hosted by Dr Beth Chapman, a Consultant Psychiatrist working in Cornwall CAMHS.
What Was The Gist Of It?
Well, the evidence is actually pretty compelling. Think about it:
Staff Wellbeing: Turns out, the therapists themselves find clinic rooms depressing. It isn’t great for them either. Getting outside can boost their mood and help with burnout.
Young People Actually Like It: Shocker! They're more motivated to turn up, they feel more relaxed, and silences (awkward or otherwise) are way easier to handle when you're not staring at four walls.
Therapeutic Benefits: Nature can be like a "second therapist," helping with things like grounding, emotional regulation, and just generally making it easier to open up. For the therapist, it can provide a lab for helping the young people to experiment with these concepts rather than the clinic rooms which are not usually regulating.
What Did They Do?
It started small, a bit of "let's give this a go." They got staff outside, asked young people and parents what they thought, even made a film about it. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Parents in particular were quoted as saying, "Why aren't we doing this already?"
Alongside these workshops, there were more in-depth evaluations and the data backed up the good vibes. Staff were less burnt out, young people were more engaged... It's a win-win.
There were challenges, of course. It's not all sunshine and rainbows (literally). There are hurdles:
CAMHS Culture: Staff said they found CAMHS to be risk-averse and stuck in its ways. "Evidence-based" this, "risk management" that... It can be a struggle to get people to embrace a new approach. Everybody acknowkedged these were important but there was felt to be a challenge to work in new ways with road blocks everywhere.
Resources: Time, space, funding—the usual suspects.
Language: Even explaining what "nature-based approaches" are can be a challenge.
Clinical Practice: Individual practitioners and differnent schools of thoughts wondering whether that works for their practice, of if it does, how does it work for their type of mental health practice? What does deep trauma look like
So, Is This a Magic Bullet?
Nah, of course not. But it's a valuable tool in the toolbox. We need to be open to new ways of supporting young people, and nature-based interventions definitely deserve a closer look.
As always, it's about being creative, being compassionate, and actually listening to what young people need.
It also challenges us as practitioners to keep thinking about what we can use that is in our control to improve the experiences that our clients have when we are working with them.
Can You Help Me?
Sure. Why not find a time to talk with me?
Please get in touch:
Did you like this post? Think you have a friend who might want to read it?
Make sure you don’t miss any of my other posts: