putting the “wild” in Wild Cactus Therapy

I love visiting National Parks. My favorite vacations normally include tent camping and hiking for miles in the dark after catching a sunset in the best spot. Give me a mountain, and I will spend hours walking around, up, beside, below, and all over it for days! Put me in a shopping mall, and I will whine and sit on a bench, claiming exhaustion and an aching back after 10 minutes.

There’s something about the wild. Big Bend National Park is one park I’ve been to multiple times and I always find myself wondering, “how great can a desert really be AGAIN, right”? There’s no sparkling lakes or snow capped mountains in Big Bend. But when I’m out there, the beauty of the natural land stops me in my tracks, every time. How the landscape, the animals, the plants, and everything else in this heat stricken desert have adapted and thrive in an environment— not much else could withstand— is inspiring & beautiful.

For me, that encapsulates the spirit of a “wild therapist.” It’s about seeing the natural beauty and resilience of the clients we sit across from. Appreciating the history and environment that someone has grown up in, and how it shaped them into exactly the person they need to be. Seeing the beauty in the present moment. Empowering others to embrace their authentic selves and thrive in their environments, no matter how harsh.

So from one wild human being to another, I say embrace your wild side, it’s pretty rad.

—Stephanie Ruh LPC-A # 85072 supervised by Marie Gray LPC-S #71945