Making women’s shelters more conducive to family life: professionals’ exploration of the benefits of nature

Abstract

For families who live in women’s shelters, provision of salubrious activities supports their recovery and resilience. In many fields, natural environments are known to provide such benefits. Using an action research design, this study explored professionals’ perspective on the benefits of nature for family life in women’s shelters. Four researchers and 46 care professionals collaborated for six months on this exploration by forming a Community of Practice (CoP). Thematic analysis of transcripts of CoP meetings and case descriptions showed five themes: nature (1) offers a place for family leisure time, (2) supports social connectedness, (3) supports psychological well-being, (4) offers metaphoric experiences, and (5) supports parenting. The first four themes are in line with insights on the benefits of nature for people in general. Professionals’ explanations of the fifth theme suggest that nature supports parenting by providing relatedness between parent and child, parental feelings of competence, and autonomy in parenting.