Psychiatric Patients Completed Nature Therapy Retreat
Patients from Monaco participated in a four-day psychosocial program focused on outdoor activities in Italy.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Mental Health
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Psychiatric patients from the UPPM La Roseraie facility in Monaco recently finished a four-day nature-based therapy retreat at the Tenuta Sant'Egidio estate in Soriano nel Cimino, Italy. The program integrated forest walks and art therapy to support rehabilitation.
Why it matters
This initiative served as a complementary psychosocial rehabilitation activity designed to foster socialization and personal autonomy among psychiatric patients. Medical staff accompanied the group to ensure that nature-based interventions remained integrated with ongoing clinical care.
This pilot program involved a cohort of patients from the UPPM La Roseraie facility participating in a 4-day intensive outdoor retreat. While the initiative focused on forest exposure and creative workshops, specific clinical outcome data is not yet available.
The players
UPPM La Roseraie
A psychiatric facility in Monaco that oversees long-term patient care and rehabilitation.
Association de Bienfaisance Eugenio Benedetti Gaglio
A charitable organization that provided support for the psychiatric patient retreat.
The details
The retreat used the biodiversity of the Monte Cimino beech forest to encourage environmental observation as part of psychosocial treatment. Patients engaged in creative workshops using natural elements and stayed in tents on the estate grounds. Medical staff were present throughout the duration to facilitate these activities alongside the participants' regular clinical care.
Timeline
October 2, 2026: The four-day therapeutic retreat began.
October 5, 2026: The therapeutic retreat concluded.
Health Landscape
This retreat follows established patterns within psychosocial rehabilitation therapy models by integrating outdoor exposure into formal psychiatric care. It reflects a growing shift toward utilizing environmental and creative activities as complementary components in traditional treatment plans.
Integrating nature-based activities into a psychiatric treatment plan can support goals like improved socialization and autonomy. If you or a loved one are in treatment, discussing whether non-clinical, psychosocial activities might complement your current care is a conversation to have with a physician.
The takeaway
Nature-based therapy provides an alternative environment for fostering patient autonomy during psychiatric rehabilitation. Patients interested in how such programs might integrate with standard care should ask their clinical team about available psychosocial support resources.
What happens next
Medical staff and organizers are currently exploring the feasibility of establishing the retreat as an annual program.
Further reading
For more on holistic approaches to care, visit our Mental Health section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Monaco Life.
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Should mental health facilities integrate nature-based programs into standard clinical treatment plans?
