• To be aware of the wide-ranging benefits of outdoor clinical sessions for staff and service users
• To read about service user and staff’s experiences of engaging in outdoor clinical sessions
• To recognise that outdoor sessions can offer a way of engaging people with severe and enduring mental health issues in longer-term interventions
There is growing interest in outdoor therapy sessions, which appear to have physical and mental health benefits, but there is still a lack of research in this area. A service evaluation was undertaken in a community rehabilitation service to explore the perspectives of service users and staff on outdoor clinical sessions. The rehabilitation team members work with people with severe and enduring mental health issues towards community reintegration. All participants had positive views of outdoor sessions, which were described as supporting people to overcome anxiety, develop confidence and reconnect with the community. Suggestions on how to improve the sessions included staff training and allocating more time. Difficulties included the unpredictability of the environment, logistical barriers and maintaining confidentiality.
Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2024.e1701
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Dave A, Fenton K, Ganatra J et al (2024) Exploring service users’ and staff’s perspectives of outdoor clinical sessions. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2024.e1701
Published online: 04 June 2024
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