The Secret Garden: An Eco-Art Therapy Retreat for Youth Struggling with Mental Health Issues (Le jardin secret : une retraite d’éco-thérapie par l’art pour des jeunes aux prises avec des problèmes de santé mentale)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to explore the potential role eco-art therapy could play in how youth with mental health issues access mental health care. Eco-therapy provides clients with access to natural environments, conversations around the relationship between self and environment, and the potential impacts the environment can have on the self. The youth participants involved in the retreat were accessing mental health care at The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center through the Youth Partial Hospitalization Unit (YPHU) and had accessed art therapy prior to the retreat. The retreat took place in Ottawa, at two different locations on October 1, 2019, at the Experimental Farms and October 4, 2019, in Fisher Park. On October 10, an art exhibition was held at the Ottawa Art Gallery in conjunction with World Mental Health Day.