About Shae
“The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.”
-Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Shae is an ecotherapeutic guide and counselor who holds a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a graduate certificate in Ecopsychology. She has a passion for the revitalization of the human relationship with the natural world, and the integration of relationship with plants, animals, wild landscape, and authentic community in the therapeutic process. She is particularly inspired by the meaningful impact not only the land, but also the animals, have on people and loves partnering with them in educational and therapeutic processes.
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Shae specializes in facilitating nature-based therapeutic experiences. During her graduate program, she was given the opportunity to co-found a Nature-Based Therapy graduate certificate, along with colleague Dr. Bethany Novotny. She continues to pursue a vision of making nature-based therapeutics and nature-connection experiences accessible to all in East Tennessee.
“To be whole. To be complete.Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.”
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-Rachel Carson
My approach when working with people is experiential. I believe that healing takes place more profoundly when the whole self is engaged— intellectually, psychospiritually, and physically, engaging the senses through smell, sound, taste, touch, and feeling which the outdoors offers in so many ways.
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At the heart of my therapeutic orientation is the belief that every person has the capacity for wellness and carries within them an invisible intuitive thread that will guide the healing journey if trusted and followed. Together, we work to track the inclinations and directives of this thread: for some, it is a whisper of curiosity related to growing food— for others, it is an affection for birds or insects or flowers. For another, it may be a remembering of a childhood love of crafting fairy houses. For a child, it may be the emotional regulation that comes from putting their feet in the water and watching the aquatic life. These inclinations of the heart offer powerful guidance as I walk alongside individuals and support in their journey.
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- Shae Keane, MA, LPC-Temp
Nature-based Therapy
Nature-based therapy is rooted in an eco-psychological framework. Foundational to this framework is the understanding that our human wellness is inextricably tied with the wellness of the planet— that an individual’s healing and the healing of the earth are inseparable. Rather than a traditional seated session inside an office building, my clients and I work together outdoors, inviting the natural world into the therapeutic process in a multiplicity of ways.
As explained by Philip Tedeschi, LCSW, an animal-assisted psychotherapist and professor, at the heart of the therapeutic process is the understanding that “…health is optimized in contact with other healthy living systems.” Thus, in ecotherapeutic sessions, I am focused on supporting the client’s healing process through creating opportunities for deepening relationship with healthy living systems in the natural world.
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Therapy and coaching with Shae can take place at the Fauna Forest Farm of Jonesborough, TN.