Nature Based Therapy Boot Camp
The Nitty Gritty of Outdoor Practice
...and you have NO idea how to get prepared for a totally different environment.
Your skills as an OT? Great.
Your experience working with kids? Awesome.
Your willingness to try new things? Solid.
But your experience OUTDOORS with kids ALL DAY? Nope. Not ready for that.
The list of questions goes on and on.
From mindset to the nitty gritty of nature based practice, this course is jam packed to help you take your work outdoors in 30 days or less. It includes everything you need to hit the ground running as a nature based OT!
4 Modules
Comprehensive Workbook
110 Nature Based Therapy Activities
Assignments to Expand Learning
Mentoring Questions to Apply Learning
This course is for you if you already have a business or are employed by one and need a crash course in all the nitty gritty ins and outs of how to do the work. You get access to all this content for 8 weeks!
It's not for a dreaming stage - it's for the "I'm about to be outside in the woods verrrrrrrry soon and I need help to feel ready" stage.
Click to see inside the modules
👋 Welcome
✔️Copyright Information
📗Course Workbook
📚Books to Consider
👋Introduction to Module 1
Why We Work Outdoors
Shifting Mindset for Nature Based Work
What to Expect as You Get Started
Self-Care for You - Your Health Matters
Common Supplies for Outdoor OT
📌Visualizing Therapeutic Opportunities
📌ASSIGNMENT: Visualizing Therapeutic Opportunities
📌Learning from Other Resources
📌ASSIGNMENT: Learning from Other Resources
😀Mentoring: Shadowing and Meeting
😀Mentoring Check-In
👋Introduction to Module 2
Outdoor Assessment Strategies
Nature-Based Goal Writing
The Big Picture Overview of Sessions
Advancing Thinking Around Sensory-Based Interventions Outdoors
The Importance of On-Going Risk Assessment
Supporting Challenging Behaviors in Nature
Maximizing Parent Engagement
📌Brainstorming Treatment Activity Opportunities
📌ASSIGNMENT: Brainstorming Treatment Activity Opportunities
📌Learning from Other Resources
📌ASSIGNMENT: Learning from Other Resources
😀Mentoring: Site Procedures, Skill Competencies, Meeting
😀Mentoring Check-In
👋Introduction to Module 3
110 Nature-Based Activities: Fine Motor
110 Nature-Based Activities: Discrimination
110 Nature-Based Activities: Games
110 Nature-Based Activities: Gross Motor
110 Nature-Based Activities: Handwriting
110 Nature-Based Activities: Problem Solving
110 Nature-Based Activities: Risk Taking
110 Nature-Based Activities: Self-Regulation
110 Nature-Based Activities: Tools
110 Nature-Based Activities: Vestibular
All About Swings
15 Ways to Use a Hammock
👋Introduction to Module 4
Outdoor Therapy Groups & Camps
Strategies for Challenging Behaviors in Groups
Working with Students & Volunteers
📌Group Treatment Plan
📌Learning from Other Resources
📌ASSIGNMENT: Learning from Other Resources
😀Mentoring: Shadowing and Meeting
😀Mentoring Check-In
Next Steps
⬇️ Nature Based Therapist Badge
Course Evaluation
"Marika and Angela have thought of everything in designing this course! They provide guidance on big picture concepts such as mindset and self-care, as well as specific strategies for intervention, group management, and parent communication.
The suggested resources they provide, which are interwoven into reflective course assignments, are also invaluable. Would definitely recommend to anyone new to the outdoor therapy setting!"
- Bailey Holman
Angela and Marika!
Owner, Treeline Enrichment
Owner, Bearfoot OT
All your questions answered!
Let's talk about some of the assumptions. This course assumes you are a pediatric occupational therapist set to begin work outdoors with kids within 30 days. This course assumes you have experience working with pediatric clients in other settings and you are beginning a new journey into the speciality area of nature-based OT.
This course is NOT how to start a nature based practice NOR is it heavy on the theory or research behind the value of OT work outdoors. It's not "how to be a pediatric OT." It focuses on practical steps and skills you need to start working in the woods.
Seeing nature based therapy sessions and assessments in action can level up your learning. But sometimes due to scheduling or location this is not an option. This course assumes you have a local nature based therapy mentor and observations will take place with that mentor. This course provides observation worksheets that can be completed in person or by watching videos. We are not able to provide complete video clips of sessions at this time, so if you do not have a local nature based therapy mentor, observations may not be available to you yet.
Mentoring is essential as you transition your work into nature based settings. This course assumes you have a local nature based therapy mentor. This course provides a framework for 60-minute mentoring calls with your local mentor at three specific points during the course. If you do not have a local nature based therapy mentor we have an optional add-on mentoring package available that includes three virtual 60-minute mentoring sessions with Angela or Marika. Additional fees do apply for this option.
Are you the only therapist in your practice or are you just getting started with your nature based therapy business? This course is all about the actual work outdoors with kids. We strong recommend setting up nature based mentoring to help you apply your learning to your unique practice and setting.
You will have access to the recorded course for 8 weeks (2 months) from the time the link is emailed.
When you purchase this course it is for an individual license. Each individual license may only be assigned to a single specific individual user (e.g. one specific therapist) and may not be shared or transferred to others.
(We made this course for you)
This course was created out of necessity to streamline our businesses as we were growing and hiring. We were on a Zoom call one day talking about how much TIME and EFFORT it was taking to train our new hires to be ready for the woods.
Because nature based OT is no joke in its uniqueness - no matter the experience level, pediatric OTs still needed a LOT of support to successfully transition to nature based work.
So we decided to co-create an onboarding course for our new hires so that each time we hired someone, we wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel. We made this course so that our in person time with new employees could be optimized to observation and mentorship, not talking through all the nitty gritty details.
We've both used this course to onboard and train new employees and it's (if we do say so ourselves) AMAZING.
So if you're an employer and want to get an employee up to speed quickly and equip them with the tools and knowledge they need to do nature based work, this course is for you.
It's going to save you precious time and cut your therapist training time in HALF with this course. Which we know you need if you're anything like us.
If you don't have a local mentor, no worries!
"I cannot recommend the Nature Based Therapy Bootcamp program highly enough, ESPECIALLY with the added mentorship program.
Starting and working in my own nature based business has been so empowering, exciting, and also, at times, lonely. There have been several times when I have wished that I could learn from someone currently doing the same work.
This program has everything I was looking for AND MORE. It has saved me hours of work and searching for answers and has been invaluable.
I also added the mentorship package and encourage everyone who does not have an in person nature based mentor to ABSOLUTELY sign up for mentorship. I completed mentorship with Angela and made amazing gains in a short time thanks to her guidance and accountability."
- Rebecca Waud
You don't want to make this transition alone.
You can figure out how to be a nature based therapist by yourself. But this course is what you need if you don't want to spend the first couple of months (or longer) feeling like you don't know what you're doing.
This course is your guidebook - equal parts hand holding and butt kicking to get you ready to get outside in 30 days or less.
The transition to nature based practice can be hard, overwhelming, new, uncomfortable and confusing.
But it doesn't have to be.
With 8 weeks to access this course, The Nature Based Therapy Boot Camp will pivot you from nature nervous to nature confident.
(And that's much better than struggling with self doubt in the woods. We promise.)
The Nature Based Therapy Boot Camp is just what you need!