Anecdotally, we all feel how therapeutic it can be to be outside in nature. Even if you just take a short walk in your neighborhood when you are feeling stressed, it can do immediate wonders for your mental health. Starla Simmons, LCSW, Clinical Assistant Professor and Field Liaison at the School of Social Work, has the evidence and experience to back up this intuition around the connection between time in nature and our mental health.
She has over a decade of experience in holistic practices such as ecotherapy and mindfulness. Starla’s practice and passions are also strongly rooted in social justice and racial equity, and she supports the vitality, resilience, and collectivism of BIPOC communities in her work.
Starla is the faculty liaison for the Environmental Justice/Ecotherapy student organization and Black Student Network at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She serves as the Interim Executive Director for Black Mamas ATX and previously served as an Austin leader for the national nonprofit, Outdoor Afro.
At Pease Park Conservancy, we look to Starla for her leadership in the areas of ecotherapy and equity in nature, and we are excited to share her knowledge in this final feature of our Women’s History Month series.
PPC: Where did you find your passion for nature and being in the outdoors?
SS: My passion for the outdoors started with my family. As a kid, I had the privilege of being able to roam safely in nature. I grew up going to my grandparents’ farm, running free with cousins, fishing in ponds, feeding chickens, and wandering around outside. As the only Black family in a small, rural neighborhood, connecting to nature helped me grow into my authentic self.
PPC: Share with us some information about your work in ecotherapy. Can you provide us with a few findings about the impact of time in nature on people’s mental health?
SS: I’ve simply used nature as a healing resource in every job I have held, from working as a camp counselor, a school social worker, and now as an Assistant Professor.
Funny enough, I actually wasn’t aware that “ecotherapy” was a field of practice until later in my career. It wasn’t until I met a local clinical social worker and former biologist who was facilitating training on ecotherapy in the community that I realized, “Oh! I’m an ecotherapist!”
When I was a volunteer leader for Outdoor Afro, I was able to more deeply understand the historical and cultural dynamics of the outdoors and the absolute necessity to change the narrative around who loves nature. The experience of enjoying the outdoors with people who looked like me, while holding the complexity of historical racism in the environment, was powerful and healing.
In my role as clinical faculty at UT, I have been able to combine all the things I love: collective healing, nature, and social justice! I have introduced social work students to the practice of ecotherapy as a way to not only support the families and individuals they serve, but as a practice of personal and professional self-care.
PPC: What barriers have you faced when trying to encourage people to spend more time in nature?
SS: The biggest barriers I have experienced are due to systemic oppression and the historical traumas that have happened to BIPOC communities in nature. For example, the stereotypes and assumptions about Black people and nature - that Black people don’t like to camp, hike, or swim - are all intertwined with systemic racism. However, if you consider the history of violence and segregation of Black people in the outdoors, it’s understandable why certain outdoor activities don’t feel accessible to the Black community - because they weren’t.
In order to get folks engaged, we have to meet people where they are, in their realities. We have to remove the systemic barriers, like access to green spaces, while healing the internalized oppression that has resulted in disconnection from nature.
PPC: In the context of universal accessibility to nature, what have you found about the various forms of recreation for different cultures?
SS: I think human beings find ways to connect to nature because we are nature. I believe there is inherent inequality in the idea of “recreation.” Some communities have the resources and access to be outside in “recreational ways” and others do not. In terms of accessibility, all forms of enjoying the outdoors should be made available and equally valuable. I want people to feel good about growing their connection to nature, even if that means simply admiring the clouds and sitting under a tree. Not everyone wants to be hiking up 14’ers or sleeping in a tent! People will congregate in nature where they feel good and comfortable and most of all - safe.
Want to learn more about the connection between mental health and time in nature? Here are some resources Starla has provided.
"Sour Mood Getting You Down? Get Back To Nature" - Harvard Health Publishing
"Ecotherapy - A Forgotten Ecosystem Service: A Review" - Frontiers in Psychology
"Spending at least 120 minutes a week..." - National Library of Medicine