Share This

August 28, 2024

Meet Cecelia Futch, LPCC-S

Living in a tipi for four months at age 15 was a foundational experience that eventually led to Cecelia Futch, LPCC-S, becoming a credentialed ecotherapist. This fall she will lead an exciting journey into “Ecotherapy in Clinical Practice,” a four-part virtual seminar with clinicians from Hopewell and Pasadena Villa. Cecelia explained, “Ecotherapy refers to various methods of cultivating the health benefits of being in nature. My hope for the upcoming training is to instill in clinicians the confidence – based on empirical evidence, ongoing research, and personal experience – to incorporate Ecotherapy into their clinical practice as well as their daily lives.”

A Broad Counseling Background

During her lengthy career, Cecelia has counseled people with mental illness in a number of populations, including women with addiction disorders, low-income seniors, women in a prison release program, and adults and youth with HIV/AIDS. “I believe in a holistic approach that addresses the body, mind, and spirit, and I have traveled along that authentic pathway without regret,” she said.

One of Cecelia’s competencies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), addresses the belief that cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors together influence actions, thoughts, and mood. She stated, “CBT teaches clients skills to change their thoughts such as affirmations, challenging thoughts, and emotional regulation, which helps them modify how they respond to difficult situations.”

Cecelia trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which was developed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder. DBT helps people who engage in black-and-white thinking and who experience extreme emotional highs and lows. In this case, emotional regulation means accepting mood swings, that opposing emotions and thoughts are valid, and clients can learn to tolerate the discomfort.

Using Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cecelia helped clients accept their history and stop trying to relive it wishing things would turn out differently. “Clients going through ACT come to accept that life includes painful times, joyful times, and struggling times. We discover a path that can help make meaning of life, explore values, and define goals.”

She continued, “CBT, DBT, and ACT are all structured therapies, so different from classic psychoanalytic models. Using these modalities, we find what will help clients live better, what tools they can learn, and how to move towards a positive outcome in a shorter period of time.”

A Lifelong Journey to Ecotherapy

Cecelia’s path towards Ecotherapy started with a love of camping and outdoor activities while on adventuresome family vacations all over the United States. “I grew up in Louisiana and when I was 15, our parents took us to a homestead high in the Rockies for four months. We built a Lakota tipi and lived without running water, foraged and fished, cooked in the tipi, hiked, and panned for gold. I remember it as a real grand adventure,” she enthused with a soft drawl.

“Camping all my life as well as living in the tipi really resulted in my interest in Ecotherapy. I have always believed that nature innately supports us psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Even in my earlier counseling experience – before Ecotherapy’s recognition as a treatment modality – we did a lot of things outside, kind of by instinct. For example, we would go to a park and walk on the trails. People would talk about things differently when walking side by side outdoors as opposed to face to face in a clinical setting. It can feel safer to explore the inner landscape.”

In 2017, Cecelia took an extensive online 6-month course with the Earthbody Institute, followed by an immersion experience in the Blue Ridge Mountains with ecotherapists from around the country. She feels that Ecotherapy doesn’t take the place of other modalities; rather, it enhances them. “Research shows breathing forest air enhances our immune system and triggers our bodies to produce natural serotonin. A walk in the woods with a client is a simple way to start exploring the benefits.”

Hopewell: A Therapeutic Community

Ecotherapy fits right into the types of collaboration at Hopewell, Cecelia maintained. “The beauty of Hopewell derives from the cooperative team approach where staff and residents create a community of support together,” she recalled. In addition to weekly clinical meetings, non-clinical staff also contribute. “A kitchen worker might report that a resident was anxious about eating in the communal dining area. Or someone from the buildings and grounds staff might notice a resident yelling at a tree and bring it to a clinician’s attention. The entire staff observes, informs, and supports each other for the benefit of our residents.”

Cecelia confirmed, “Hopewell is not just a mental health facility as much as a therapeutic community, where we can reduce isolation in people who are experiencing distress or mental illness. I saw miracles there,” she exclaimed. “A new resident might present a real challenge and we would see how well they were functioning in 3-4 months. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Also, we didn’t just celebrate positive outcomes – we also suffered disappointments and losses together with support and supervision. It was sheer joy working with people who were concerned about each other’s well-being.”

In addition to counseling residents on the farm, Cecelia worked with Hopewell’s University Circle Transition (UCT) program, an apartment-based program for residents who wanted to experience more independent living but still access Hopewell therapists and services. While there, she developed an Ecotherapy module for an urban setting. “With a short walk to a nearby lagoon and nature trails, residents at UCT could find water, trees, grass, and beautiful landscaping. We incorporated nature into their apartments, such as taking care of houseplants. Pictures on a wall, the sound of birds or streams can measurably lower stress levels.”

During their walks, Cecelia would help a client find a “sit spot” where they feel comfortable. “We’d do some mindfulness and breath work, which helps people become calmer, reduces blood pressure, and feel more grounded. We did guided imagery in the natural setting and I encouraged them to return to the spot whenever they felt anxious or needed a break.”

Retirement: The Journey Continues

After over six years as a clinical counselor at Hopewell, Cecelia retired in 2023. She has traveled, camped, or hiked in 48 states, which leaves Alaska and California on her retirement bucket list. She wants to visit her children and grandchildren and do some more camping. In addition, Cecelia enjoys her lifelong photography hobby and teaches Qi Gong. Another goal is to increase her proficiency in banjo, ukelele, and other folk instruments.

Cecelia holds an MS in mental health counseling from Capella University (2013), an MDiv in Bible, Theology, and Pastoral Care from The Divinity School (1994), and a Bachelor of Arts from Morehead State University (1984).