Cross‐sectional online survey on the perspectives of more than 1100 Austrian therapists on integrating nature in psychotherapy

Abstract Background Integrating natural environments into therapeutic practices is increasingly recognised for its positive effects on mental health recovery. However, there is limited research on how nature is utilised in psychotherapeutic treatments. This study aimed to fill this gap by providing initial data on the frequency and application of nature‐integrating psychotherapy. Additionally, it explores psychotherapists' attitudes towards the potential and limitations of integrating nature into psychotherapy under practical conditions. Methods A total of N = 1190 Austrian psychotherapists (mean age: 53.75 ± 10.84 years; 74.9% female; 19.9% psychodynamic, 47.9% humanistic, 23.0% systemic, 9.2% behavioural) participated in a cross‐sectional online survey assessing personality traits (Big Five Inventory), connectedness to nature (NCI), professional experiences in integrating aspects of nature in psychotherapy and estimated potentials and risks of nature‐integrating interventions. Results The majority of participating psychotherapists reported experience with conducting psychotherapy in nature (65.9%) and with integrating nature materials into their treatments (79.1%). Differences in some personality traits among psychotherapeutic orientations were observed, whereas the NCI did not differ. Overall, systemic therapists had the most positive attitude towards integrating nature into psychotherapy, whereas the opposite was observed for psychodynamic psychotherapists. Several aspects were found to also be affected by an interaction between orientation and gender. Conclusions Results indicate that nature‐integrating psychotherapy is both common and valued among Austrian psychotherapists, with differences observed across therapeutic orientations and genders. These differences highlight the need for further research to better understand the factors influencing psychotherapists' approaches to nature integration in clinical practice.