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Walking Towards Wellbeing: How Nature and Connection Are Supporting Carers in Melbourne’s West

Publication date: 15 July 2025

At Jesuit Social Services’ Western Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centre, a series of therapeutic nature walks is offering carers something they rarely have: time to breathe.

The Western Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect program is a Department of Health funded initiative that provides information, resources, counselling, individual support, and group programs to those who care for people experiencing mental health or substance use challenges. Based in Sunshine, the program recognises the vital role family, carers, kin and supporters play in supporting the wellbeing of the person they care for—and offers practical, compassionate support in return.

Developed in collaboration with our The Outdoor Experience (TOE) program —a Bush Adventure Therapy program supporting young people with drug and alcohol issues—these walks are now being offered to carers supporting loved ones with mental health or substance use challenges. The walks are led by Jenny Vran, an experienced practitioner with decades of work in adventure and therapeutic outdoor programs. Drawing on her background, Jenny has developed a unique, place-based approach to wellbeing—one that reconnects carers with themselves, with others, and with the land.

“Early on, I met with carers to ask what kind of program would really support them,” Jenny explains. “They all said the same thing—they wanted to be in nature, to have access to walks and green spaces they couldn’t normally reach.”

Taking on this feedback, Jenny designed two fortnightly programs: a local, all-abilities nature walk on Wednesdays, and a more immersive hike in surrounding bushland on Thursdays. Each session welcomes around ten participants, with plenty of space for both connection and quiet reflection.

“We always build in time to walk and talk, but also time just to be,” Jenny says. “Some people like the chance to chat and share, others are there to recharge. We make room for both.”

Carers describe the walks as a rare opportunity for self-care and renewal. One participant shared, “It’s very important for me to take time off— it a dedicated space for self-care, connecting with others, and being in nature…it’s purely me-time.”

The walks are carefully designed to be enriching and informative. Jenny researches the geological and Indigenous histories of each location beforehand, integrating learning and a sense of grounding into the experience.

“There’s something powerful about being informed as you move through the landscape,” she notes. “It deepens the connection.”

Transport, lunch, and hot drinks are also provided to remove barriers to access, allowing carers to show up fully supported.

For Jenny, the transition from supporting young people at TOE to working with adult carers hasn’t changed her core approach. “Whether it’s young people or carers, the therapeutic value of immersion in nature is the same,” she says.

“This is about building a connection to self, to others, and to the natural world. It’s about offering carers the space and support they need to keep going—to put fuel back in the tank.”

 

Find out more information about our Western Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect program at https://jss.org.au/programs/mental-health-and-wellbeing-connect-western-metro/ and The Outdoor Experience at https://jss.org.au/programs/the-outdoor-experience/.

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