Dr James Welchman

Resident Psychiatry Doctor

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Biography

Outdoor spaces in mental health services are often treated as peripheral, despite growing evidence that contact with nature supports emotional regulation, recovery, and staff wellbeing. Drawing on clinical experience as an NHS psychiatry doctor and research in environment and human health, this talk explores how gardens, courtyards, and grounds function as a largely forgotten part of the therapeutic infrastructure. It examines the tension between risk-averse design and therapeutic potential, contrasts staff intentions with patient experience, and aims to reframe landscape as an integral component of psychiatric care rather than an optional amenity.