Stories of loss, healing and empowerment: Women discussing nature as healer following marriage breakup and divorce
Details:
12:00 – 12:50 pm
6th of December
Room: 4N-120
Helen Cooper
Professor Tonia Gray
Dr Val Nicholls
During this multisensory autoethnographic presentation, we will candidly discuss our personal journeys of healing our hearts through connecting with nature following marriage breakdown and divorce. It is designed to demonstrate how our vocation as outdoor educators provided the context and the skills to heal through reflective practice.
We will focus on the connections between personal experience and the social context, which is an integral part of autoethnography (Chang, 2007), and central in context of the social constructs of marriage and family. Nature sparked transformation and created the throughline in reshaping our identity and sense of belonging. The presenters will weave our lived experience of family breakdown coupled with our insights as researchers to discover the common threads. Finally, we invite others to share their experiences in an inclusive and compassionate space.
Chang, H. (2007), “”Autoethnography: Raising Cultural Consciousness of Self and Others””,
Walford, G. (Ed.) Methodological Developments in Ethnography (Studies in Educational
Ethnography, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 207-
- https://doi.org/10.1016/S1529-210X(06)12012-4
Ridgway, A. (2024). “To call my own”: migrant women, nature-based leisure and emotional
release after divorce in Hong Kong. Leisure Studies, 43(3), 434- - https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2022.2148717
About the Presenter
I’ve been kicking around the outdoor industry for over 25 years wearing every hat under the sun. Having done every job imaginable in outdoor education and adventure tourism including running my own wilderness adventure business, I now find myself spinning many plates simultaneously. Currently I am PhD student in the School of Education at Western Sydney University looking at integrating place-based EOTC into Australian secondary schools to enhance student wellbeing, school engagement, and academic buoyancy. I balance this out by working for Outdoors NSW & ACT, Western Sydney Uni and Greater Sydney Parklands to keep it real.
Dr Val Nicholls exemplifies lifelong growth and adventure, seamlessly blending her personal and professional journeys. At 72, she continues to challenge herself, emphasizing the importance of daily reflection and the journey over the destination. With over 30 years in Nature-Based Adventure Therapy, Val’s diverse career includes roles as a Speech and Language Pathologist, leading international ceramicist, and outdoor educator. Her PhD explores the therapeutic potential of peaceful solitude within adventure. Val is a Life and Founder member of the Australian Association of Bush Adventure Therapy and facilitates the CYCT’s Women on Boats program. Her insights on resilience and risk-taking inspire continuous personal and professional growth.
Professor Tonia Gray is a Senior Researcher in the Centre for Educational Research at Western Sydney University. With a Masters in Community Health and a PhD in Education, Tonia’s transdisciplinary research explores the intersection of outdoor experiential education, human-nature relationships, gender and health/wellbeing. She is Chair of the Australian Tertiary Outdoor Educators Network and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal Outdoor and Environmental Education.
