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Educating, Counseling and Healing with Nature
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Michael J. Cohen, Ph.D.ounded in 1986, Project NatureConnect is the culmination of over 50 years of environmental leadership, innovation, and celebration of nature’s restorative powers by ecopsychology pioneer and award-winning author Michael J. Cohen, Ph.D.
I learned more in one year on the school with Mike than in four years of college.The online graduate and certificate program of Project NatureConnect has its roots in the Audubon Expedition Institute, which Cohen founded in 1959. The program began as the Trailside summer and ski camps, evolving into the Trailside Country School in 1969. Cohen donated this highly successful pilot program to the National Audubon Society and Lesley University, after which it became the Audubon Expedition Institute which Cohen directed until 1985. The program was called “the most revolutionary school in America” by the National Audubon Society, this expedition program took students and teachers across the country in a school bus, camping year-round and learning through direct experience and interaction with natural systems, as well as through the day-to-day dynamics of community life.
Through decades of empirical research by Cohen and his students, Cohen developed a new scientific school of thought in the budding field of Ecopsychology called The Webstring Model of Natural Attraction Ecology. Along with this model, his explorations evolved into the development of a method literally for “coming to our senses”: The Natural Systems Thinking Process. This process of sensory revival and restoration helps people connect their thoughts and feelings with the self-correcting and renewing ways of nature. It increases personal social and environmental well being and brings the deeply inspiring beauty and genius of the natural world to the lives of those who practice it.
I was deeply moved by some of the experiences shared by the other participants; they inspired me in difficult times, to use the nature-connection techniques that they used.This online program, Project NatureConnect, was founded in 1994. As did students in the Expedition School, students in the Project NatureConnect online school learn to respect, appreciate, and understand the web of life through direct sensory experience outside in nature, in their inner life, and in community life. Our online program enables anyone on Earth to reconnect with nature and come home to the health, integrity, and beauty that is built into our genes as members of the Earth ecosystem community.
The program is part of The Institute for Global Education (IGE). IGE is a special NGO consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Its goal is to educate those who desire to participate in a world where peace is a way of life.
Note: instead of using a standard navigation menu, our original website is designed to be used as a discovery pathway to be explored by following your attractions from link to link. It brings you the 25 years of joy, history, rationale and the supportive opportunities of Project NatureConnect. It is filled with first-hand findings, experiences and the good spirit of field studies done by participants in the program.
Because it is an older site, you may also run into broken links and the occasional feedback loop. Please disregard all of the academic information pages as they may be out of date. We are in the process of updating these and apologize for any inconvenience they may cause. While these updates are in progress, please continue to follow your attractions and explore this virtual forest treasury, returning here to ProjectNatureConnect.org for program details.
You are also invited to call Mike by telephone and get your questions answered directly. Talking directly with us is a chance to explore opportunities using him as your personal guide.