About Grow With Nature
Grow With Nature, LLC was founded by Alice Nelson, MS, LMFT with the intention of helping humans deeply connect with Nature through a Nature Centered approach.
In January 2020, Alice was burnt out from being a mental health therapist and ready to completely transition away from the profession. In an attempt to break away, she joined a traveling circus! Really! But, COVID forced the circus to close, and the traveling circus only lasted a few months. After some time for recalibration, Alice realized the only way she could return to the mental health field in a more sustainable and restorative way was by deepening her relationship with Nature, by integrating Nature-Based Therapy. Now, not only is she thriving as a therapist and supervisor, but also delights in helping other people deepen their relationship with Nature to foster more sustainable and restorative practices.
People regularly ask, “How did Alice become trained in Nature-Based Therapy?” The surprisingly simple answer is Alice learned to slow down and listen to the teachings of Nature Beings beyond humans. Some of her favorite teachers include trees, the river, her cats, crows, and the weather. Now, through Grow With Nature, Alice wants to help others find their personal Nature Being teachers by teaching the skills of how to deepen their ability to attune to Nature.
Through a decolonized lens, Grow With Nature offers ways to challenge our collective human views of the natural world merely as a resource to be utilized, to recognizing Nature as a profound source of guidance and inspiration. Nature can help more deeply explore what it means to be human through attuning to natural rhythms, processes, patterns, and systems.
Nature’s wisdom is already embedded within your day to day life, whether it may be a houseplant, a pet, the weather, or a tree you regularly pass (but may have never said hello to).
Grow With Nature can help guide you to slow down and more deeply listen to the lessons Nature has already taught you, and help you better integrate these lessons into your personal and/or professional life.
About the Founder
Alice Nelson (she/they) lives in Portland, OR. Alice strives to intentionally and ethically collaborate with Nature within all aspects of her life. Alice’s hope is to help others rekindle and deepen their own authentic relationship with Nature, whether through therapy with her clients, as a clinical supervisor, or teaching other professionals.
Alice is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (2016) working with clients ages 7 and up through adults, including offering individual, couples, and family therapy. Alice specializes in working with neurodivergent populations, as well as helping people process their trauma, and she tends to incorporate an experiential and eclectic approach tailored to her client’s needs. As a therapist, Alice views herself as a knowledgeable hiking companion collaborating with the client on their preferred journey, and not simply as a guide dictating the path of personal healing. Alice has worked in several environments including a juvenile justice system, intensive outpatient in the community, and outpatient settings that offer a more experiential approach.
Alice also is an AAMFT Approved Clinical Supervisor (2021), and enjoys supporting other therapists, from interns to licensed providers. As a clinical supervisor, Alice loves not only helping therapists support clients in an ethical and client-centered way, but also supporting the professional in identifying ways to make their therapy practice sustainable and restorative.
