79: Mental Health First Aid: Practical Strategies for Self-Regulation with Nicole Roma Thurrell
Wilderness Mental Health First Aid with Nicole Roma Thurrell
In this episode, Nicole Roma Thurrell is back with valuable insights on wilderness mental health first aid. We discussed the importance of body awareness in regulating nervous system responses and strategies for helping children manage different states of activation during outdoor sessions. The episode emphasizes rhythmic, repetitive, and relational activities, with practical suggestions like breathing exercises, grinding coffee beans, and finger knitting. Tune in to hear all her great tips for helping the children you serve be better able to cope with the ebbs and flows of human emotions in daily life. Make sure to visit Institute for Wild Med and get 20% any of their courses with the discount code TGO20 exclusively for our TGO podcast listeners!
00:00 Introduction and Personal Update
00:15 Exciting Upcoming Trip
00:27 Challenges of the Week
01:21 Introduction to the Episode
01:41 Guest Introduction: Nicole Roma Thurl
03:02 Mental Health First Aid Conference
04:37 Increasing Anxiety in Children
06:41 Understanding Wilderness Mental Health First Aid
15:16 The Autonomic Nervous System
23:59 Combining States for Resilience
31:34 Understanding the Dorsal Vagus and Safety Perception
32:32 Body Before Brain: Effective Interventions
35:21 Rhythmic, Repetitive, and Relational Strategies
37:44 Breathing Techniques for Regulation
48:51 High Energy Activities: The Yellow Bucket
50:55 Low Energy Activities: The Red Bucket
54:47 Creating a Safe and Aesthetic Environment
58:48 Conclusion and Practical Takeaways
Welcome to the TGO Podcast!
The Therapy in the Great Outdoors podcast is about the business & practice of nature-based pediatric therapy of all kinds. If you are an outdoor-loving practitioner in the field of occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, social work, behavioral health, mental health counseling, or outdoor education THIS is for you! You'll learn how you can take your work with children outdoors into nature. We'll cover exactly what it takes to run a successful and profitable nature-based practice that changes children's lives (and yours!) forever.
