Old Roots New Shoots: Four Weeks to Wellbeing in Nature

Improve your wellbeing and develop your relationship with nature, with Old Roots New Shoots.

Old Roots New Shoots offers an accessible, evidence-based 4-week course that helps readers to reconnect with nature to support mental wellbeing.

This book has been designed as a practical guide to help you both improve your wellbeing and your relationship with nature in four weeks. The guidebook is informed by ancient wisdom, principles of clinical psychology and is backed up by science.

You are guided through each week with simple activities, tips and exercises to do on your journey to wellbeing. Old Roots, New Shoots also has a companion webspace that you can freely access to support the guidebook.

The guidebook explains the importance of nature and how this can help to support wellbeing. The guidebook is simple and accessible to use, and the exercises can easily be tailored to fit into your week.

Meet the Authors


Hannah is a clinical psychologist, researcher and Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) practitioner, and has worked in the UK National Health Service (NHS)for many years. Hannah has a strong relational approach to her clinical practice and works neuropsychologically to enhance a biopsychosocial understanding of people’s difficulties. 

Before completing her clinical training at the University of Exeter, Hannah was awarded a MSc in Mental Health Studies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.

As co-founder of the Research Group for Wellbeing and Nature (ROWAN), Hannah carries out research on how natural environments can help support human health and wellbeing. She also supervises and mentors a range of people from assistant psychologists, trainee clinical psychologists, psychological wellbeing practitioners, and undergraduate, MSc and doctoral research students.

Dr Hannah Bunce

Dr Matthew Owens

Co-founder of the Research Group for Wellebing and Nature (ROWAN), Matthew is a researcher with over 20 years of experience in academia. Matthew has published more than 50 research articles on mental health in highly respected journals and is an active researcher in the field of nature and wellbeing.

He completed his MSc and PhD in psychological research at the Developmental Brain Behaviour Laboratory, University of Southampton and has had positions of Postdoctoral Scientist at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge and Research Fellow at the Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter.

Matt currently carries out clinically-facing research focussed on the benefits that nature can confer on mental wellbeing.

Matt loves wild camping and spending time on the coast whenever he can.

Book Review

Old Roots, New Shoots is an accessible and thoughtfully written guide that explores how connecting with nature can support and improve our mental health. What I particularly liked about the book is how approachable it feels. It doesn’t overwhelm the reader with complicated information or unrealistic expectations. Instead, it breaks ideas down into manageable sections of text, making it easy to read and take in at your own pace.

The guided tasks are clear and understandable, giving the reader practical ways to engage with nature rather than simply reading about its benefits. The helpful, healthy tips are presented in a straightforward way, making them feel achievable and easy to incorporate into everyday life.

The language throughout is articulate but never complicated. This makes the book feel welcoming and accessible to a wide range of readers, whether you already spend lots of time outdoors or are simply looking for small ways to bring more nature into your life.

What stood out to me most was how Old Roots, New Shoots manages to be informative without being imposing. It offers gentle encouragement rather than telling the reader what they should be doing. The focus on nature makes the ideas feel refreshing, practical and achievable.

In fact, while I was reading it, I already found myself thinking of friends and family members who I would like to buy a copy for. I think that says a lot about the book. It is the kind of guide that feels useful not just for yourself, but also as a thoughtful gift for someone who might benefit from spending a little more time connecting with nature.
— A reader

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Where to buy Old Roots New Shoots

Available from:

  • Paperback - Amazon

  • Order a signed copy from Raven House Publishing

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