Innovations in 'therapeutic landscapes': implications for social prescribing

In my PhD I provided new insight into experiences of 'therapeutic landscapes', spaces (and the activities that take place within them), that are associated with being good for mental health and wellbeing. I demonstrated that experiences of 'therapeutic landscapes', for example green spaces and retreats, are always changing and are not necessarily 'therapeutic'.

Where people do have 'therapeutic' experiences, such as feelings of calm or achievement, these often exist alongside other less pleasant or unwelcome experiences, like pain or frustration. Furthermore, I showed that experience, and how this changes over time, varies considerably between people because of their individual histories; because of who they are and what they've experienced before, and because of how and why they came to be there in the first place.

Finally, through my research I demonstrated that rather than the spaces themselves being 'therapeutic', 'therapeutic' outcomes are a consequence of a range of different factors (which may or may not include the environment, as well as other things like mood, appreciation or enjoyment of the specific activity, other people and conversations, home life) temporarily coming together in the right way at the right time.

I was able to provide this insight because of the approach I developed to conduct the research; an approach that was designed to enable me to capture highly detailed information about experiences, such as thoughts, feelings, and bodily movements, and how and why these happen and change over time. This approach began with my own participation in different 'therapeutic landcapes' (walking groups, conservation groups, and meditation retreats) and the keeping of diaries of these experiences.

Following this, I interviewed people I had met through my participation, and used my own experiences as prompts to help people remember theirs. In my fellowship I will publish three academic papers outlining:

- The insight provided by my PhD research into how complicated and changeable experiences of 'therapeutic landscapes' are.

- The new approach I developed for conducting research that helps to capture highly detailed information about experiences.

- The understanding of what experience is and how it happens that informed how I studied experiences of 'therapeutic landscapes'.

During the fellowship I will share the findings of my research with other academics at conferences, and through a workshop at which I will introduce the new approach to conducting research that I developed.

I will also produce a report, present to, and hold a workshop for, health and social care policy makers and professionals. These are important as my finding that experiences of 'therapeutic landscapes' are not 'therapeutic' all of the time or for all people, and the reasons behind this, has implications for the roll out of 'social prescribing', and specificially, the referral of people on to activities like walking groups and choirs to help improve their mental health, by a member of staff at a doctor's surgery or other healthcare provider.

Social prescribing is currently being heavily invested in by the government, and consequently warrants further study. In light of this, I will apply for funding for a research project that draws upon the insights and approach to research gained and developed in my PhD research, to help understand what experiences of 'socially-prescribed' activities are like, and what impact the act of prescription might have on these.