Emma lent closer to the microphone, her upward gaze indicating deep thought. Elbows firmly on the desk and hands moving to emphasise the flow of her words.  As she spoke, the podcast room filled with the gentle rhythm of her voice.

“This is the way we’ve naturally learnt as human beings, the storyteller would come into the tribe and share information. And it is the most natural way to connect with humans,  to share stories and tell stories and share experiences,” she said.

‘Yes,’ I said adjusting my headphones and leaning back into my chair.  Oh god, I thought how will I transfer this idea from practice to theory?

Emma was on a roll, beautifully articulated dialogue rolling from her tongue like silk.

I can’t articulate my thoughts as well as she does, What do I say, I need to sound like I know what I’m talking about.  I am the host of the podcast, I need to guide the conversation.

I nodded in agreeance as Emma continued. I checked the recording equipment on the desk between us to make sure it was still recording. The indicator lights lifting and dropping to the rhythm of Emma’s voice, the red recording light pulsing to a silent beat.

She’s going to stop talking soon and expect me to say something. My mind has gone blank.

The grey soundproof walls seemed to close in as my mind searched for a connection between theory and practice from an eco-informed perspective. At this point I had nothing. My heart began to beat faster, my hands became shaky and heat surged through my body as though the room had suddenly become a furnace. I took a sip of water, hoping, somehow, to swallow the answers and deliver them my brain.

Emma was focussed, her face soft as she spoke.

‘So you’d have to sit and talk and process. It is such a natural way that we process information and learn how to express emotion,’ said Emma.

Wait, what did she say?

‘And human connection,’ she continued.

In this moment, Emma’s words grounded me.  As she spoke, my anxiety eased, my back settled into the chair, my feet pressed into the floor and ankles crossed gently. My hands rested around my water bottle. Comprehension returned and with it reflection of my own clinical practice.

I can see it now, the connection between theory and practice in this conversation.

I leant forward and mirrored Emma’s posture. My mind cleared, my thoughts began to flow. I didn’t need to guide the conversation, I simply needed to step out of my own head and connect with the human in front of me.  

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Theories underpin our practice framework. We engage in ongoing learning, responding, and building knowledge to improve our practice. We challenge underlying assumptions and query bias in order to continuously evolve. The above story of Emma and myself offers a holistic representation of experiential practice theory within human services. Across therapeutic modalities that share foundations, the most important being human connection.

The experience of human connection is the essence of the story. We observe my  cognitive, sensory and non verbal process in learning. Emma’s reflections also highlight how these same processes are present for our clients. Learning through conversation reflects experiential learning theory. Baker, Jensen, & Kolb, (1997) define this theory as  “developing a conversational space where the praxis between reflection and action is fully recognised”. It is about the sensory experience of exchanging dialogue in order to create, recognise and take action on meaningful information (Borden, 2013). Information that develops through the process of story telling. Stories that derive from  knowledge, experience and creativity. Otherwise known as wisdom.

According to Kolb (1984) awareness of the experience of interaction is not enough to produce learning outcomes. Likewise, transformation of information on its own is not sufficient. As illustrated in the above story, it is the integration of verbal, non verbal, sensory and cognitive process that facilitates construction of insights. This process draws on life experiences to produce knowledge.

In their book Kids These Days Dobud and Harper (2025) advocate for non diagnostic and person centred therapy grounded in experiential learning. They argue that “Therapy is a sociocultural practice, not a medical treatment.” Emma reflets this perspective in the  podcast through her acknowledgment of First Nations peoples as the original storytellers. Those who shared knowledge, culture and wisdom through connection, passing learning across generations through their experience of connection.

Within the therapeutic process, whether we are facilitating nature-based therapy, art therapy, talk therapy, equine or animal-assisted therapy, or expressive arts therapy, experiential learning theory is inherently present. This is particularly evident in approaches that are person-centred, non-pathologising, and grounded in the client’s lived experience as a catalyst for change.