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.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Jillian Blount, OT, owner of WildFree Kids OT in Alaska. We’ve discussed some of the challenging behaviors we might see as therapists and our approaches to those situations, how to manage groups of children with challenging behaviors, and the importance of creating a safe environment for the kids we work with.

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.  

Carolyn Parker is a speech therapist from the Mount Pleasant, Michigan area who grew up loving the outdoors, but actually came to nature-based therapy slowly and unintentionally by incorporating outdoor time and natural materials into her therapy.  

In today’s episode, Carolyn shares how she started her practice, what exactly nature-based speech therapy entails, especially for the children she works with who have complex communication needs, and the need for more research on the benefits of nature and speech therapy. We also discuss our vision for the future of nature-based therapy and what interdisciplinary collaboration between OT, PT, SLP, and mental health fields could do for the future of pediatric therapy.

Today’s guest is an occupational therapy masters student who has already made waves by applying her OT lens in a unique way. Inspired by a life full of nature and travel with her family as well as her siblings who have disabilities, Ashlyn Southard recognized the lack of accessibility in the national parks system and wanted to do something about it.

In today’s episode, she’s sharing how she landed a paid internship working at Grand Teton, the resources she created both for families visiting and for staff to be more informed on accessibility, and how therapists can offer support to families specific to their vacations. 

Ashlyn’s passion for bringing more awareness and accessibility into the national parks is something that is so needed. I can’t wait to see what Ashlyn contributes to the nature-based therapy space in the future and hope that her work in the national parks system lives on.

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.

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Sarah Collins of Homeschool OT, who provides consultation services for occupational therapists and homeschoolers. She’s sharing practical ideas for both homeschoolers and OTs, best practices for OTs on how to approach conversations with homeschoolers, and three homeschooling philosophies and how they’re beneficial to nature-based therapy.

Nature-based therapy practitioners can benefit from understanding the ecosystem of homeschooling, and homeschoolers can benefit from integrating nature-based OT practices into their daily lives. I hope this episode inspires you to learn more about how you can work with homeschooling communities as an OT.

In today’s episode, I’m talking with Mya Zavaleta about the importance of DEI (or IDEAR, as she refers to it) within nature-based practices, ways to increase social accessibility, being open and honest about being inclusive in your practice, and how to engage with communities of a socioeconomic status who might not be able to afford your services.

When it comes to IDEAR, one of the most important things you can do, especially as a white person, is truly listen to people in communities that are not your own. Take the time to understand their needs, their history, their desires. Taking small steps to help people feel like they belong in nature yields big rewards.

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Freya McGregor, an O.T. and disabled birder, about how birding is a beautifully accessible activity that you can add as a tool to your nature-based therapy practice. She shares how to use it as a mindfulness tool, how to adapt birding activities to different needs, and why it’s truly accessible, even if it doesn’t appear that way at first glance.

This is a delightful and exciting conversation that I hope will leave you with lots of ideas and inspiration for incorporating birding into your nature-based therapy practice.

Today, I’m chatting with fellow nature-based OT, Kim Wilson, about how she answered those questions for herself, and how that led her to keep her business small to align with her vision and lifestyle. She shares how her business evolved, why it’s her mission to empower families to be equipped with tools and knowledge, and how she’s made a cash-based business work in multiple locations.

As you’ll learn in today’s episode, the most important thing is to be intentional with your decisions and make them from a place of honoring your interests, your passion, your current season of life, and your personal business goals. You get to chart your own path, and there are so many ways to make a nature-based therapy practice work for you.

In this episode, I’m talking about why I think that nature-based therapy practices have longevity and sustainability. Not only can it renew your passion for the work that you do, but we aren’t healthy when we’re detached from the earth (and vice versa). 

Whether you’re starting a new practice or thinking of ways to reinvigorate an existing one, the benefits of nature-based therapy are many, and they will continue to benefit children and adults alike for decades to come.

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.

Running a nature-based therapy practice is more complicated than just taking your patients outdoors. There’s a lot that has to happen behind-the-scenes – from payroll to insurance to business strategy – and you’re bound to have questions along the way. I’m answering some of those questions today!

In this episode, I answer a few listener questions about starting and growing a nature-based therapy practice. I explain how you can work towards your goals, even when you’re not in a place to scale your business. I explain the purpose of liability insurance and why you need it. Plus, I share my experience finding outdoor spaces where I could legally conduct my practice.

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. 

Email marketing was a big contributor to the early success of my business. Unfortunately, it’s not something that a lot of nature-based therapists make a priority. It might seem overwhelming, but there are tools that help to make it easy for you to establish your email list. And the benefits are worth it.

In today’s episode, you'll learn how email marketing is an easy and effective way to connect with your potential customers. We’ll discuss my favorite (and least favorite) platforms, why automation is so important, and how to write emails that keep your audience engaged so that they will want to work with your practice.

As therapists, what we assess is what we address. But when you take your practice outdoors, you might find that your assessments change a bit. For nature-based therapists, it’s important to find a balance between the tried-and-true standardized assessments you’re used to and new, nature-specific ones.

In this episode, I’m talking about the importance of assessments and how to use them in your nature-based therapeutic practice. I’m sharing ways you can adapt your current assessments to a nature-based practice and a few new assessments to try. Plus, I’m explaining how you can supplement your standardized assessments with more organic observation.