Hi, my name is Kimberly.
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I am the contemplative eco-psychotherapist (CO #12840), naturalist, and facilitator behind Colorado Ecotherapy Institute, an entity I founded to serve my community with what I believe we need to be resilient and rooted beings - relationship with body, place, nature, and soul. I am really glad you are here.
This work and way of being in the world is born of my own unique expression merged with a synergetic collection of teachers, mystics, nature beings, friends, and mentors. It culminates into a personal and professional contemplative ecotherapy practice. It began with me as a small child feeling into the 'WE' experience of interpersonal and interspecies relationships. I was called to entangle myself with the living world, and as I developed, this formed into a deep desire to live life consciously, kindly, and meaningfully. After decades of work as a naturalist, nature connection guide, humane educator, and activist, I received an intuitive download to 'go to graduate school and blend your nature experience with psychology'. I followed instructions, applied to graduate school, and was immediately accepted. Serendipitously, my first course of study was 'Spirituality and Counseling'. Thus began this journey of nature, spirit, and healing.
Ecotherapy was not much of a field when I heard this call (almost 20 years ago). There were a few pockets of people throughout the country taking clients outdoors or doing trainings. Mostly what I found in my research were Wilderness Therapy programs - intervention-based therapy in backcountry settings for youth and young adults. This was not the model I felt called to participate in. I wanted to create and facilitate eco-psychotherapy for outpatient clients and wanted to provide trainings for outpatient clinicians wanting to do the same. After years of practice and acquiring clinical hours, lots of supervision, and leading hundreds of clients in outdoor spaces, Colorado Ecotherapy Institute was born.
I believe the relationship between the human body and the earth body is ancient and vital to our modern-day wellness.
Both bodies hold incredible history, beauty, intelligence, creativity and potential. Together, they are also a portal to intuition, soul, and spirit for many people. Creating openings for others to remember the symbiotic relationships between body, mind, earth, and soul is my gift and work in the world. My hope is to help others clear their own unfinished business so they can step more deeply into their gifts and service in the world.
This work and way of being in the world is born of my own unique expression merged with a synergetic collection of teachers, mystics, nature beings, friends, and mentors. It culminates into a personal and professional contemplative ecotherapy practice. It began with me as a small child feeling into the 'WE' experience of interpersonal and interspecies relationships. I was called to entangle myself with the living world, and as I developed, this formed into a deep desire to live life consciously, kindly, and meaningfully. After decades of work as a naturalist, nature connection guide, humane educator, and activist, I received an intuitive download to 'go to graduate school and blend your nature experience with psychology'. I followed instructions, applied to graduate school, and was immediately accepted. Serendipitously, my first course of study was 'Spirituality and Counseling'. Thus began this journey of nature, spirit, and healing.
Ecotherapy was not much of a field when I heard this call (almost 20 years ago). There were a few pockets of people throughout the country taking clients outdoors or doing trainings. Mostly what I found in my research were Wilderness Therapy programs - intervention-based therapy in backcountry settings for youth and young adults. This was not the model I felt called to participate in. I wanted to create and facilitate eco-psychotherapy for outpatient clients and wanted to provide trainings for outpatient clinicians wanting to do the same. After years of practice and acquiring clinical hours, lots of supervision, and leading hundreds of clients in outdoor spaces, Colorado Ecotherapy Institute was born.
I believe the relationship between the human body and the earth body is ancient and vital to our modern-day wellness.
Both bodies hold incredible history, beauty, intelligence, creativity and potential. Together, they are also a portal to intuition, soul, and spirit for many people. Creating openings for others to remember the symbiotic relationships between body, mind, earth, and soul is my gift and work in the world. My hope is to help others clear their own unfinished business so they can step more deeply into their gifts and service in the world.
In addition to operating CEI, I am founder & guide for Relational Rewilding Nature Guiding, work as coordinator & faculty member for Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies and am a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation. I also am an instructor at Denver Botanic Gardens teaching Botany & Birds, and Field Herbalism, and with Audubon Society of Greater Denver, teaching Botany, and Colorado ecology.
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To Colorado Ecotherapy Institute clients and students, I bring 15 years of nature therapy experience, and my training in: Master's in Counseling & Career Development - Community Counseling focus (CSU, 2010) Gestalt therapy Gestalt Equine and Nature Psychotherapy Ecopsychology Contemplative Studies and Practices TEPP Embodiment Facilitator's Training Somatic Experiencing & Somatic Psychology Internal Family Systems Ecology & Place-based Studies Soul Care Herbalism, Ethnobotany & Botany Animal Tracking & Bird Language Rewilding & Earth-based skills Horsemanship Forest Bathing Nature-connection facilitation |
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While some of these areas of focus may initially seem irrelevant to psychotherapy, they actually support wholeness and provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to feel into the many ways we are embodied, relational, human mammals. CEI incorporates talk therapy, hiking, horses, archery, nature connection, movement, mindfulness, wildlife watching, play, sculpture building, parts work, rituals, tea-making, fire-making, and foraging into therapeutic time. Activities and interventions are purposeful, part of a client's (or student groups) goals, and are dependent on the season and client's presenting issues. Kimberly provides the nature-based psychotherapy services for CEI. Ecotherapy trainings, psycho-education workshops, and retreats are facilitated by Kimberly or in collaboration with other mental-health practitioners and animals. |
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CEI Collaborators:
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Duey Freeman, MA, LPC - Educator, Supervisor for CEI Elder, Master therapist, Founder Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies, Co-founder Gestalt Institute of the Rockies, Creator of 'Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy', Creator of Freeman Attachment Model©, Creator of Freeman Developmental Model©, Retreat Leader, Supervisor, Professor, Horseman, Guide, Mentor of Many... www.dueyfreeman.org www.gestaltequineinstitute.com The UNcivilized Men’s Initiation (manuncivilized.com) |
Erin Henry, MSW, LCSW - Peer Psychotherapist & Educator with CEI
Animal and nature-based therapist, Yoga teacher, Wellness Coach, Cancer Survivor
www.rewildtherapy.com
Jenny Vandehey - Peer Herbalist and Retreat Leader with CEI
Mother, Herbalist, Birth Doula, Organizational Leader, Human Whisperer
www.linneawellness.com
Lacy's Mr. Dillon (AKA: Dillon)
Quarter horse, Cow-herding horse, Equine therapist, Friend, Brother, Herd leader
Enjoys trail rides, sleeping, working with clients and students, eating carrots, belly scratches, playing with his best bud, Moondash.
Moondash (AKA: Moon)
Quarter horse, Racing lineage (Dash for Cash), Equine therapist, Friend, Brother
Enjoys playing with Dillon and Spirit, trail rides, butt rubs, sunbathing, teaching, being a gentle therapy horse, and making grumbling noises
Lil' Spirit (AKA: Spirit)
Welch Mountain Pony, Friend, Sister, Equine therapist
Enjoys the comfort of being with her brothers, pulling friends in her pony cart, having her mane braided, eating anything, being a therapy pony
