Dr. Thomas Doherty’s advocacy of walking therapy builds on 30 years of experience in outdoor work, psychology and counseling.
Dr. Thomas Doherty is an award-winning psychologist who specializes in the connections between (1) mental health, (2) environmental issues like global climate change, and (3) emerging technologies. He draws on his practice experience in health care and nature-based therapy, and his academic research on wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
His multiple publications on mental health and the natural environment include his groundbreaking paper “The Psychological Impacts of Global Climate Change” — cited over 950 times.
Dr. Doherty is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and Past President of the Society for Environmental, Population and Conservation Psychology. Dr. Doherty founded one of the first environmentally-focused certificate programs for mental health counselors in the US and was founding editor of the academic journal Ecopsychology.
He has provided workshops and training for the American Psychological Association, the US National Park Service, the New Zealand Department of Conservation, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the California Department of Health, and the Technology Association of Oregon.
Examples of Public Writings and Talks:
Nature and Mental Health in the 21st Century: Public Talk for the Technology Associations of Oregon (5 minutes):
Nature and Mental Health: A series of videos designed for college students that provides a comprehensive introduction (in about 12 minutes).
Academic Writings
Harper, N. & Doherty T. J. (2020) An Introduction to Outdoor Therapies in N. J. Harper & W. W. Dobud (Eds.). Outdoor Therapies: An Introduction to Practices, Possibilities, and Critical Perspectives. New York: Routledge.
Doherty, T. J. (2016). Theoretical and Empirical Foundations for Ecotherapy. In M. Jordan & J. Hinds (Eds.). Ecotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice. London: Palgrave
Doherty, T. J. & Chen, A. (2016). Improving Human Functioning: Ecotherapy and Environmental Health Approaches. In R. Gifford (Ed.). Research Methods in Environmental Psychology. John Wiley & Sons.