Interview: Social worker Melissa Grisi on cultivating a relationship with nature
To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, we spoke with high desert therapist Melissa Grisi. A licensed social worker for twenty years, Melissa integrates a range of psychotherapeutic methods into practice, including connecting with nature. Melissa talked about the importance of getting outdoors and cultivating a relationship with nature for one’s mental health.
Overcoming barriers to nature
Connecting to the outdoors can have a profoundly positive, lifelong effect on wellbeing, individually and communally. One way MDLT fosters this dynamic is through educational events. MDLT continually conducts field trips, hikes, and lectures for K-12 students of the Morongo Basin to forge a deeper connection between people and place. From a Star Party in Mojave Trails National Monument, to a walk through our Mojave Desert Discovery Garden, to an exploratory birdwatching hike through Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, 2023 has been a year of outdoor educational firsts for many area students.