Jack Rigley

I work collaboratively with clients to gain a better understanding of the factors, both past and present, that contribute to their mental health difficulties. Once we have this understanding and a goal in mind, we work together to make the changes they wish, or to alleviate the distress they feel. I work exclusively outdoors using Nature-Allied Psychotherapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy and elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. In practice, this may involve:

• Adapting techniques from traditional therapies to the outdoors through use of natural resources, senses and movement.
• Responding to seasonal changes through ceremony to help a client process challenges and transitions in life
• Mindfulness-based outdoor practices to train the brain and deepen connection with nature
• Understanding and using a client’s relationship with nature to improve their relationship with themselves, others and the wider world.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please read the “Further Information” section about why and how I work with this approach. Please note that I work exclusively outdoors, face-to-face in Edinburgh. I offer a free initial consultation via videocall to discuss whether my practice would suit your needs, though availability varies week to week. To arrange an initial consultation, please book via Counselling Directory or by contacting me directly to arrange a time that best suits us both.

Client Feedback:

“My past therapy experiences were pretty boring and I just couldn't connect. The vibe wasn't right for me, whether it was in person at different offices or online, nothing clicked. But this time, it finally worked. It's mostly because of Jack. He's understanding, compassionate, a great listener, gives practical advice, and respects your time and situation. Plus, he shares a love for nature, which really ties everything together and makes therapy more cohesive and impactful. I truly believe this was the best fit for me compared to all my other experiences, mainly because of the nature aspect and having someone like Jack who really gets it and incorporates compassion-focused therapy.”

“I managed to slow down and give myself some time to really stop and think. I let myself dig deeper, check out my feelings, and see things from a different angle instead of just taking them at face value. I tried to figure out why I'm feeling this way, how I actually feel, and what I should do about it, instead of just accepting it and maybe making myself feel worse. I get that part of having a compassionate mind means being patient with yourself instead of rushing. Just like when you're patient with someone else, you're more compassionate, not rushing or pushing them. Focusing on compassion means you're really listening to yourself more.”

“My connection with nature has totally changed for the better. It's helped me appreciate it way more. I've started to notice even the tiniest details about what nature is, what it's doing to the world, and how it's affecting me. It's made me pause, be present, and really respect what it's doing for everyone, especially me. It's also helped me slow down, take a breath, and just be mindful and present. When you do all that, you end up appreciating nature even more and seeing it on a deeper level than before, and then the cycle starts again.”

I offer an initial 30 minute 'get-to-know' session over zoom free of charge. An aim of this is to discuss whether the type of therapy that I offer will be suitable for your needs. Please get in touch if you would like to arrange a free initial consultation.

My therapy sessions are all 50 minutes to an hour and are Face to Face, outdoors in Edinburgh

As our society has evolved rapidly over recent centuries, we have become more urbanised as a population. This has resulted in a reduction in our connection with the natural world, from spending time outdoors to how we consider plants, animals and the elements. Research has consistently shown that contact with nature is beneficial to the functioning and regulation of our brain and body. This is not surprising given that we humans have lived in tandem with nature for the vast majority of our existence. Similarly unsurprising is the scale of evidence that disconnection from nature is associated with negative consequences for the attention, cognitive functioning and emotion regulation of both children and adults.

Nature-Allied Psychotherapy is based on the premise that both client and therapist can connect with nature, through our senses and curiosity. Through this, it aims to help clients explore and deepen their relationship with nature, regardless of how present this felt prior. I bring in a range of techniques and exercises to help understand and deepen one's relationship with nature. For example, we might use nature's resources to create physical representations of life's challenges and transitions. Or we might use movement or mindfulness within the forest to understand you're felt experiences of attachment at different times in your life. As previously mentioned, disconnect from nature has been widely found to negatively impact our attention, cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation. These three skills have further been found to predict outcomes of psychological therapy. For this reason, I also use Nature-Allied Psychotherapy to help clients to improve their attention, cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation, and ultimately to improve the outcomes of therapy compared with if conducted indoors.

Shame and self-criticism have been widely found to exist in common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorders (e.g. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Similarly, shame, self-blame and self-criticism are common consequences of trauma, whether neglect, abuse or other traumatic experiences in childhood or adulthood. Not only is shame and self-criticism so prevalent, but the way we think and feel about ourselves can actually determine how mental health problems persist or are alleviated. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is an evolution of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in that it works largely in the same way, however it also addresses the shame and self-criticism that further exacerbate problems. CFT begins with a focus on understanding and managing our emotions, which makes it easier for us to think more objectively. In CFT, we use our wisdom to understand the routes of emotional suffering in ourselves and others, and prevent further pain. In this, we may understand times we have not acted in line with our values, not to condemn or to condone, but to learn for the future and ease unnecessary suffering. Similarly, we may understand the routes of suffering to be in the way others have treated us, and now change the course of continued self-criticism or rumination. For this reason, CFT has been found to effectively address intense feelings of shame, hopelessness, anxiety and the distressing thoughts that accompany these emotions.

My psychological practice is also built on extensive training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT is a widely recommended psychological treatment for common mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, insomnia, depression, anxiety and PTSD. CBT firstly focuses on exploring how events from the past have shaped the way we think and behave in the present. It then considers how the way we think and behave can help or hinder the problems we have with our mental health. CBT is often referred to as a "doing therapy" because the therapist and client set tasks to do during and between sessions to shift thought and behaviour in a more helpful direction. For this reason, it's not for everyone, but for those who wish to make changes. In my professional experience, CBT can be enhanced by models of psychological therapy that focus on our relationships with ourselves and others, such as CFT and Nature-Allied Psychotherapy.

Given the scale of our disconnect from the natural world that we have evolved in, and the research indicating the cost of this to our wellbeing, I apply CBT and elements of CFT to working in nature through the emerging practice of Nature-Allied Psychotherapy. My practice remains client centred, as it would indoors, the only difference is that there is a third party present in our work - nature. 

My aim is to work together with you as a team to understand and address the problems you have had with your mental health. I also hope to help you to explore the role nature can and does play in your mental wellbeing and in managing the challenges of life.