Forest4Youth

Adolescent users of mental health services are a highly vulnerable population: depression, anxiety, behavioural disorders, addictions, etc. are all pathologies that mental health professionals have to deal with. In NWE, 17.5% of young people aged suffer from mental health problems. This particularly fragile population requires appropriate care and accessible, innovative therapies to support recovery, at a time when mental health services dedicated to teenagers are saturated. Research has shown promising results for therapies based on immersion in the forest, particularly with regard to symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

Taking advantage of the NWE region's 20%+ woodland, the project intends to exploit the potential of these natural spaces for the benefit of adolescent mental health users. These promising therapies are not yet being implemented in NWE. The project aims to expand the utilisation of forest areas as a therapeutic resource for teenagers targeted, emphasising the accessibility and recovery-oriented aspects. The innovation aspect lies into the strong joint collaboration between both mental health and forest sector to develop this approach. 

By integrating forest-based therapies into mental health care facilities and encouraging their adoption, the project aims to provide holistic support to young people struggling with mental health issues, taking advantage of the transnational approach to ensure a wide accessibility to the solutions developed by the partnership. The outcomes are: 

• a joint synthesis of the forest-based initiatives and research experiences at the benefit of teenagers facing mental health issues 
• a joint care protocol integrating both real and VR forest experiences;
• implementation of 8 pilot therapeutic forests in NWE countries and of pilot VR immersive forest-based activities;
• implementation of pilot actions targeting teenagers facing mental health issues; 
• development of guidelines for public authorities, foresters and mental health professionals - development of tailor-made training framework for mental health professionals and foresters;
• implementation of 5 reference centres to ensure sustainability of the outcomes of the project. 

 From the very beginning of the project's implementation, the entire process will involve input and feedback from the adolescents targeted, their families, mental health and forestry professionals, public authorities, and experts. This will be facilitated through Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and local focus groups to ensure diverse perspectives are integrated.