We're diving back into research after a long break! In this episode, we explore the article titled Theory of Affordances to Understand Environment Play Transactions: Environmental Taxonomy of Outdoor Play Space Features- A Scoping Review by Morgenthaler, Lynch, Loebach, Pentland, and Schultz, published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy in 2024.

This week's podcast episode is the final part 3 of the "audio book" version of my published research on nature-based pediatric occupational therapy. You'll hear the explanation of the design of the model, plus the discussion section, the limitations of this research, and recommendations for future research.

This week's podcast episode is part 2 of the "audio book" version of my published research on nature-based pediatric occupational therapy. You'll hear the results of the study, which found 6 phases that work together as mechanisms of change in the nature-based ⁠pediatric occupational therapy process: Longing for Freedom⁠, Embarking on Adventure⁠, Dancing with Nature, Claiming Self-Agency, Braving Real-Life Challenges, and Growing Adaptive Capacity.

My dissertation research article is finally published! This episode is part 1 of the "audio book" version of the article. You'll hear the abstract, introduction, methods, and the first part of the results, plus a little of my commentary along the way. In the first part of the results, I describe the actors and each actor's main role in the pediatric nature-based occupational therapy process.

This systematic review and meta-analysis found nature-based interventions have positive associations with behavioral and emotional outcomes for autistic children. The full article and supplemental materials are provided in the show notes of this episode.

In this episode, I share results from a recent systematic review examining the effect of exposure to nature on children's psychological well-being. You'll learn what the literature says about this topic (it's good news but also NOT as great as we might wish for...more research always needed). Plus, I pull out a few practical takeaways for your work as a nature-based therapist.

In this episode, I share the findings from my PhD research and introduce the Ecology of Change in Outdoor Therapy (ECO-Therapy) Model developed from my research. The ECO-Therapy Model is a grounded theory to explain the mechanisms of change at work in the nature-based therapy process with children. The model was developed in the field of occupational therapy but may inform any pediatric therapist's work with children outdoors in nature.

Today’s guest, Hannah Burke, is a Ph.D. candidate at Colorado State University who recently, along with her co-authors, had an article published about nature-based pediatric occupational therapy. It was a scoping review of the literature that’s out there in our field and the outcomes are fascinating.

In this episode, Hannah shares why they chose to do a scoping review, what gray literature is, what her research uncovered, and the struggles around trying to solidify a definition of nature-based OT. We also discuss the importance of interdisciplinary work with other allied health professionals in nature-based therapy.  

Today’s episode is a little bit different! I’m writing a book on nature-based pediatric therapy and after reviewing the outline, I realized I’d love to know what YOU would like to see in this book. What are the things that would help you the most if you’re interested in this topic or in running a nature-based practice?

In the episode, I share a little history on how and why I’m writing this book, but I mainly want some feedback from you. I’ll be focusing on my ConTiGO approach and my ECO-Therapy model (from my dissertation research). The intended audience will be occupational, physical, and speech therapists, and also mental health counselors and social workers.

My 10-Minute Takeaway series is back, and I’m diving into a recently published article on the effect of using nature-based rehabilitation on adults. While my practice is primarily for pediatrics, seeing an article like this in a major journal is so exciting, because it might mean that nature-based therapy is becoming more mainstream.

In today’s episode, I’m diving into this article and sharing my biggest take-aways including further affirmation for the theory of nature-based therapy, previous studies down laying the ground-work for incorporating nature into therapy, and why we need a solid framework to inform our practice, especially in pediatric-nature based therapy.

Kids love getting messy. They love playing outside. And when you provide them with opportunities for safe risk-taking and exploration, the learning outcomes and success that follow will prove invaluable to their development. This is true for all children, and today’s research takeaway episode gives further proof of the benefits for autistic children.

In this small scale study, four autistic children attend forest school, and then the children, along with their parents and teachers, provide feedback on the experience. And there are some very exciting qualitative outcomes.

This research brings up an interesting idea: how we can implement videos as a strategy in treatment sessions. It also supports the practices we are implementing as nature-based therapists: getting messy, risk-taking, learning about nature, and making friends in a safe space.

In today’s episode, you’ll learn about earthing and grounding as well as a few research studies that share compelling evidence in favor of this practice. You’ll also hear the benefits of using earthing and grounding in your nature-based therapy practice.

The beauty of these practices is that they are low-cost, easy-to-implement strategies. You can incorporate earthing into your outdoor sessions. You can suggest grounding mats to your families for an opportunity to improve health inside and in situations you cannot observe, like the home setting.

Direct contact with the earth has innumerable benefits, and I can’t wait to see how you will incorporate these methods into your practice.

Are you a traditional pediatrician therapist considering taking your practice outdoors? There are so many benefits to starting a nature-based practice, many of which you’ve probably never thought of. Today, I’m breaking them down using some of my recent research findings.

In this episode, I share ten reasons you should take your pediatric therapy practice outdoors. I explain what makes nature-based therapy so effective for patients and appealing to parent. You’ll also hear the benefits of nature-based practices from a business owner’s perspective.

As a nature-based therapist, you’ve probably already seen the effects of nature programming in your patients: improved motor skills, lower stress levels, and even greater self-confidence. But what about the invisible benefits? Can nature-based therapy improve a child’s internal, physical health?

In this episode, we’re diving into a groundbreaking study on the impact of nature exposure on a child’s gut microbiota. You’ll learn how the gut microbiome affects a child’s physical, cognitive, and behavioral health. You’ll also hear how it can significantly improve a child’s stress levels. Plus, you’ll get to hear how these findings affect your practice and patients.

While we as therapists do lean on our intuition, it’s important that our work be rooted in research. In my 10-Minute Takeaway series, I break down recent research in the world of nature-based therapy to help you serve your patients to the best of your abilities.

In this episode, I share recent findings from a study on how nature exposure in childhood impacts mental health in adulthood. I explain how the study was conducted, what the researchers tested for, and the results. Then, I talk about how you can apply these findings to your own work as a nature-based therapist.

Do you think outdoor play is associated with better motor skills?

It may SEEM like a no-brainer, but often research is needed to prove something known by therapists for a long time!

This article needed more than a 2 minute takeaway- so I'm doing a whole episode to break it down.

 The study examined the relationship between childhood outdoor play and motor skills in 2-7 year old children in the country of Finland. In this episode, I discuss the findings (one of them is rather perplexing) and suggest ways we can apply this research to our work as nature-based therapists. 

If you're working with children who have challenges with attention, sensory processing, social skills, or executive function, gather a few simple supplies and try these 3 activities in your next outdoor therapy groups!

As you grow your nature-based practice, you’ll find that there are 4 main stages of business that you encounter. There is no endpoint and your journey will take you from stage to stage, and as you evolve you will face new challenges and opportunities.

In this episode, I’m sharing what you should focus on and the mistakes to avoid as you go through each stage of your business, You’ll hear insight from my own business as a nature-based pediatric therapist as well as the knowledge that I’ve accumulated over my years of group coaching and observing other practices and how they manage their companies.