ECOPSYCHOLOGY AND CONGRESS
Ecopsychology
​
Born from the encounter between ecology and psychology, this perspective teaches us to better understand ourselves and the world around us by recognizing that nature is not something separate from us, but that we too are “nature”. Understanding this changes every attitude and behavior towards the environment around us. Ecopsychology is an inter- and transdisciplinary approach that focuses on the relationship between human beings and their planetary home.
The correlation between attention to individual internal well-being and attention to the natural environment, with the awareness of how important nature is for the individual's psychic and spiritual balance, is as old as the world, but in the contemporary scientific field it only acquired a well-defined name and direction in the 1990s.
Shortly before that, many individual teachers, therapists, social workers, doctors and philosophers had, since the 1970s, pursued and applied a line of thought and work along these lines of joint commitment on both fronts. One of these is Deep Ecology, which considers the human species to be part of the biotic community and not the center of it.
Ecopsychology is a way of seeing the human being and the world no longer as two separate and independent things, but recognizing how much we are part of life and this beautiful green and blue planet. In Ecopsychology, Psychology - which studies man - and Ecology - which studies the environment - meet and collaborate to discover how much mutual help these two sciences can give to solve each of the most current problems we are facing.
"The needs of the planet are the needs of the person, and the rights of the person are the rights of the planet" Theodore Roszak
​​
​
International Society of Ecopsychology
The International Society of Ecopsychology aims to support and connect professionals working in ecopsychology. Professionals from the field of psychology, professionals from other fields and people who want to become professionals in this field who, by integrating ecopsychology into their areas of knowledge, wish to align their work with caring for life and the world, facilitating the reconnection between human beings and nature and promoting lifestyles in harmony with the environment.
IES is also a scientific research institution, which seeks to insert Ecopsychology as an area of knowledge recognized for its inter- and transdisciplinary nature. It seeks to deepen its epistemological foundation as well as its interface with other areas of knowledge. It also seeks to promote the teaching of Ecopsychology at academic level and in independent institutions aligned with the principles of inter- and transdisciplinarity.
​
.
The IES does not adhere to any kind of partisan or ideological political expression, but rather adheres to the principle of respect and tolerance for divergent opinions.
​
It meets every two years at international congresses and carries out various regular online activities with its members. It brings together the so-called IES Schools, which are national reference centers for the dissemination and teaching of Ecopsychology. It has created a new profession: the Ecotuner, which qualifies a professional in any field to facilitate psychological harmony between human beings and the living world of which we are a part. It also equips psychologists to integrate the ecological dimension into their profession. By integrating the Ecotuner's skills into psychological work, this professional becomes recognized as an Ecopsychologist.
Please, consider to become a member of IES.
IES National Representatives
Ecopsychology in Brazil
In Brazil, Ecopsychology has been structured and disseminated by the Brazilian Institute of Ecopsychology (IBE), based in Brasilia. Its president is Marco Aurélio Carvalho, a pioneer in bringing the approach to the country.
Marco Aurélio is a clinical psychologist with a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and Culture and a PhD in Sustainable Development from the University of Brasilia, and is a former president of the International Ecopsychology Society.
The Brazilian Institute of Ecopsychology has carried out research and studies in partnership with institutions such as Fiocruz, Ufscar, WWF-Brazil and ICMBio. With Fiocruz, it is developing a research program on the relationship between health and nature. With UFSCar - Federal University of São Carlos, he is developing a digital library on Ecopsychology, which will be an important source of information for future researchers and interested parties. With WWF-Brazil and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity, he is leading the implementation of Forest Therapy and Forest Bathing programs in conservation units. It also promotes training courses in Applied Ecopsychology - Ecotuning, in line with IES guidelines. It also offers a variety of ecopsychology courses for different audiences, ranging from Introduction to Ecopsychology and Advanced Ecopsychology to Ecopsychological Expeditions, Development and Research in Clinical Ecopsychology, Forest Therapy and Forest Bathing Guides.
Its mission is to include and disseminate Ecopsychology in Brazil through an inter- and transdisciplinary, decolonial, phenomenological and ecocentric perspective. Its aim is to recognize, question and overcome the anthropocentric and colonial structures that guide our way of life. One of its proposals is to create bridges between academic and experiential knowledge, from those who do not have conventional training, but rather an ecocentric way of life.
