How Birds Are Helping Deepen the Social Work Practice of One Great Lakes Chapter Leader

Birding can be transformative, even healing. This is part of what drives Carmen Meuret’s work—both as Vice President for Winnebago Audubon in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and in her professional life as a licensed clinical social worker.  

In this role, Meuret works with children and their caregivers to help them navigate challenges, drawing on birding to help navigate anxiety and grief and nurture the next generation of birding and conservation-minded youth.  

For Meuret, birding is a form of self-care that feels good—and authentic—to share with clients. As a child, Meuret collected Audubon Plush Birds and now keeps them in a tree stand and a bucket in her office as an opportunity for clients to build connections to birds, ease tension in sessions and support clients in slowing down. 

Learning about birds and their lives, such as their vast migratory journeys, can also inspire new perspectives during sessions. 

“When we consider how birds adapt over time to changing environments and climates, I like to use this example to emphasize the strengths of remaining flexible and adaptable to challenge,” says Meuret.  

Meuret often uses the incredible journeys of certain species' migration to highlight the power of resilience and determination. 

“Finding purpose and meaning in caring for the natural world, birds specifically, can provide us with opportunities to engage in acts of kindness and service that can bring us incredible joy, happiness, and comfort,” she says. “We can apply this example and lesson to humans as well—when we take care of each other and show kindness to each other, we experience valuable benefits.” 

She’s found that birding, and a connection to nature, can make a difference. For example, practicing mindfulness through birding—such as sitting at the water’s edge, watching a Common Loon, listening to its yodeling call, and being fully aware in the present—can support emotional regulation and improve executive functioning.

Just spending time outdoors and in nature improves physical and mental health by reducing anxiety and lowering the risk of chronic disease, and birding may have even more powerful benefits. 

For example, in a 2024 study, birding—in comparison to just a nature walk—was associated with greater stress reduction and a higher increase in feelings of wellbeing.  

In the past, Meuret has led a children’s nature walk through Winnebago Audubon, engaging participants in a mindfulness activity that included describing textures in the area, taking note of smells and sounds, and counting different colors of birds.  

She believes that nature belongs to everyone, and that everyone belongs in nature, and expresses gratitude for the chance to educate and cultivate the next generation of young birders and nature lovers. In a way, it’s giving back.  

“Audubon watched me grow up,” she explains. 

Meuret grew up just south of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and was drawn to the birds on her family’s property. She started attending events at an east-central Wisconsin Audubon chapter at the young age of nine. 

She began writing articles about nature for “A Kid’s Eye View,” a column in Winnebago Audubon's newsletter, The Lake Flyer. Now she’s their Vice President.

These days, Meuret is drawn to waterfowl like the Wood Duck and Northern Shoveler due to special experiences observing them. She encourages everyone to enjoy birds in ways that work for and are accessible to them.  

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” she suggests. “Get out there and enjoy what you can.”  

As Meuret’s work demonstrates, the joy, peace, and calm birds bring is nothing short of extraordinary.