Barcelona, February 28, 2025 – The GreenME project recently held a two-day training session at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) in Barcelona to prepare researchers and practitioners for the evaluation of Nature-Based Therapies (NBTs). The training, part of Work Package 3 (WP3), Tasks 3.2 and 3.3, focused on ensuring ethical, secure, and consistent data collection across multiple countries.
GreenME is assessing seven nature-based therapy programs in Sweden, the UK, Italy, and Spain to understand how they support mental health. With different teams collecting data across locations, this training was essential to ensure a standardised and reliable approach.
Experts and practitioners from UAB, UOC, Mataró Hospital, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, SLU, Social Farms & Gardens, Northern Roots, UNIBO, ETA-BETA coop, and AEHJST participated in the sessions.
Carola Domènech-Panicello (UOC) opening Day 1
The training covered:
- Best practices in data collection to maintain accuracy and reliability
- Data security and privacy, ensuring all information is handled ethically and in compliance with GDPR
- How to engage with participants, especially those facing mental health challenge
- Hands-on practice, including role-playing exercises to simulate real data collection
- Expert talks on different research methods, highlighting potential challenges and solutions
By bringing together researchers and practitioners, the training helped align data collection methods and reinforce scientific integrity.
🗣️ “It was crucial for us to meet up for the training and discuss data collection and the online questionnaire. I feel very hopeful for the coming work.” – Researcher
This ensures that the data collected is consistent, comparable, and meaningful, strengthening the research on how nature-based interventions can support mental health and well-being.
🗣️ “It was great to be a part of it!” – Researcher & Practitioner
With this training completed, the GreenME team is now ready to begin the data collection phase, bringing us one step closer to understanding the real impact of nature on mental health.
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