I remember my life through the gardens I've met. Each one taught me something about creating space for what wants to emerge.
I work at the intersection of human development, ecological relationship, and the conditions that allow people to flourish. The practice began long before I had language for it.I hold a PhD in Applied Ecopsychology and have spent years in educational publishing and research. My twin sons have been educated outside conventional schooling from the beginning. Each season of their development was designed around what they actually needed rather than what the system required.A lifetime of learning what it means to create the conditions where development can proceed on its own terms.My essays are the primary way I share this work. Begin there.
Essays and BooksPublished through Gardin Press. Essays on developmental ecopsychology, place relationship, and the ecological conditions that sustain human flourishing across the lifespan. Read at Gardin Press →ConversationsFor parents, families, educators, and practitioners navigating significant developmental transitions. You bring your situation. I help you read the developmental logic of what you are experiencing and find the conditions that would support what wants to happen next. This is not therapy. It is a conversation with someone who understands how development actually works, across childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, and beyond.SpeakingFor practitioner gatherings, parent education events, and conferences. I speak on developmental ecopsychology, the ecological conditions that support human flourishing, and biographical place-based writing and development. Available for in-person and remote engagements.
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Kathleen Donchak, PhD., 2026