Tiglin works with individuals who have battled addiction, many of whom have experienced immense loss, homelessness, and hardship. Once accepted onto Tiglin’s 16 month residential rehabilitation programme, participants engage in recovery and life skills modules designed to help them rebuild their lives, heal from trauma, and develop resilience for life beyond addiction.
Located among 3,000 acres of forest in County Wicklow, the Tiglin Men’s Centre offers a peaceful environment for transformation. Until now, this natural setting has been a largely untapped resource. Thanks to funding of €12,500 from the Benefact Group, Tiglin is relaunching its Wilderness Therapy for Recovery and Resilience programme, a nature based therapeutic initiative that supports individuals on their journey of recovery.
The programme combines outdoor immersion, environmental education, and creative expression with wellbeing practices such as guided breathwork to promote healing, confidence, and lasting recovery. Delivered through Tiglin’s residential centres and outreach services, Wilderness Therapy uses Ireland’s natural landscapes as powerful spaces for transformation. Activities include structured hikes, conservation work, reflective exercises in nature, and team building experiences that strengthen resilience and connection.
To support year round engagement and more hands on learning, the project builds on the existing polytunnel now established at Tiglin’s men’s centre. This growing space offers participants daily involvement in planting, food production, and environmental care, cultivating not just crops but also routine, responsibility, and a sense of progress. The polytunnel has already proven to be a valuable therapeutic and skills based environment, and this new phase will expand on that success with additional resources and structured programming.
In addition to horticultural and nature based work, the programme will introduce art therapy workshops, offering participants a safe space to process emotions, reduce stress, and explore identity through creative outlets. This adds a vital therapeutic dimension for those who may struggle to express themselves through words alone.
Together, these elements offer a holistic recovery pathway rooted in nature, creativity, and community, supporting long term personal transformation and reintegration into society.
