We Don’t Just Grow—We Regenerate: What Behavioral Health Can Learn from the Soil

If you know me, you’ve probably heard me say that lasting change doesn’t happen by accident—it’s designed. But lately, we’ve been thinking about how we don’t just design change—we have to cultivate it. Not in a top-down, mechanistic way, but in a living, breathing, messy, soil-under-your-fingernails kind of way. That's where our philosophy of Regenerative Psychology™ comes in.

But first, let's talk about what regenerative agriculture is; It’s a farming philosophy rooted in restoration. Instead of depleting the land for short-term gain, regenerative farmers work with the land to build long-term health. They heal the soil, increase biodiversity, and create ecosystems that thrive—even in harsh conditions. And isn’t that exactly what we’re trying to do in behavioral health?

When I consult with clinical leaders or help systems implement measurement-based care, I’m not there to “fix” the field. I’m there to help create regenerative potential.™

Let me break that down.

1. Healthy Soil = Healthy Systems

In regenerative farming, everything starts with the soil. If it’s compacted, eroded, or lifeless, nothing grows—at least not well. The same is true in organizations. When culture is toxic, leadership is reactive, or teams are burned out, we can’t expect evidence-based practices to take root. We have to heal the soil first. That means addressing the unspoken stuff: trust, trauma, fear, and inertia.

2. Cover Crops & Psychological Safety

Farmers plant cover crops not because they’re flashy, but because they protect and enrich the soil. They create stability. In our work, that’s psychological safety. Before we can innovate or implement, we have to create environments where clinicians feel safe to question, reflect, and grow. Without that, even the best tools or technologies wither.

3. Diverse Crops & Modular Care

Monocultures are brittle. One pest or disease, and the whole field is at risk. Regenerative systems thrive on diversity. That’s why I love modular CBT, ACT, and flexible care models—they meet people where they are. We need interventions that adapt, not dictate. That honor individual growth instead of forcing conformity.

4. Integrating Livestock & Leadership

Okay, hear me out. In farming, animals aren’t an add-on—they’re integrated into the system. Their movement, waste, and presence improve the land. In organizations, that’s leadership. Not just at the top, but throughout. Good leaders don’t “manage” change from above—they walk the field. They notice what’s growing, what’s struggling, and they help the whole system thrive.

5. Carbon Sequestration & Sustainable Impact

Regenerative ag doesn’t just stop harm—it stores carbon, literally pulling healing into the earth. When we do this work well—when we change not just what people do but how systems function—we create a lasting, measurable impact. The kind that future clinicians, clients, and communities benefit from. The kind that gives us hope.

Regeneration isn’t flashy. It’s quiet. Slow. Intentional.

It’s about tending instead of controlling. Listening instead of dictating. Investing in deep roots, not quick wins. And that’s what I believe we need in behavioral health—leadership and innovation that heals the soil we’ve been walking on for too long without noticing the cracks.

So the next time someone asks me what I do, I might just say this:

I help systems grow back stronger than they were before. From the roots up.

And I’m proud of that dirt-under-the-nails kind of work.