Emily Pleasance Claimed

Emily (she/her) is a queer artist, educator, expressive arts psychotherapist in training, and a certified nature and forest therapy guide based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Her trans-disciplinary research and practice engage with eco-anxiety, intersectional environmentalism, dark ecology, deep play, and embodiment practices for connecting with the natural world. An advocate for democratizing and decolonizing mental health care, Emily works with various populations to help folks reconnect with their bodies, awaken their creative expression, and find their ecological self. Most notably, she founded the Forest Bathing Club in 2021 and has since worked with organizations such as TD, RBC,  York University, Evergreen, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Canada Lands Company, RCM Health Consultancy, and many others to offer nature-based practices. Guiding all of Emily's work is the fundamental belief that human and planetary health are deeply interconnected.