Bearfoot Occupational Therapy

About

Bearfoot Occupational Therapy provides nature-based pediatric occupational therapy that combines expert guidance with transformational sessions to unlock the best version of a child's most authentic self.

Categories Program Children & Youth Therapeutic

Program Details

Our mission is to help children and families find more ease, joy, and growth by providing personalized, whole-child support through nature-based therapy. To foster understanding, we partner with parents and caregivers to provide actionable strategies that lead to lasting, meaningful change in every child’s life.

Since launching in 2019, Bearfoot OT has been a Bay Area leader in helping families find more connection, joy, and flow in daily routines by supporting the social, emotional, sensory, and motor needs of kids.

Working from an innovative and playful outdoor approach to therapy, Bearfoot OT offers individual outdoor sessions, groups, and camps in Bay Area parks. In our joy-filled, nature-based sessions, you will find a deep commitment to parent collaboration and neurodiversity-affirming care woven into every service we provide.

At Bearfoot OT, we are redefining the impact of therapy by taking it outdoors and turning it into an adventure instead of a chore. Our mission is to offer kids and families a fresh, holistic approach that combines powerful sessions with innovative care and high-touch parent support, leading to a high-impact experience that benefits the whole family. Our vision is to redefine how pediatric occupational therapy is provided so that kids, families, and therapists have the time and resources to connect deeply for better outcomes.

Contact Marika Austin, Owner/Founder info@bearfootot.com (415) 322-0874 Bearfoot Occupational Therapy

Services Offered

Individual occupational therapy sessions
Social-emotional groups
Therapeutic summer camp
Parent education
Professional development
Evaluations

Cost to Participate

10-week group – $1,297
8-week group – $997
1-week of summer camp – $995
1:1 therapy based on quarterly package model – $740/month for Basic package; $900/month for Standard package

Staff Composition

1 administrator
3 full-time occupational therapists
1 part-time occupational therapist
1 part-time certified occupational therapy assistant.

Bearfoot OT in the Media

Nature-Based Allied Health Practice
Read: Featured Case Study in this Book

Four sticks are bound together by twine, creating a frame around pink-colored leaves and pink paper hearts that say “I LOVE YOU MOM” in a child’s handwriting.

A child holds up a cardboard box that was cut open to reveal a white piece of paper in the middle. The child had splattered the paper with multicolored paint to create a piece of artwork.

Three children run up a dirt path that leads up to a tall hill. The dirt path is surrounded by green grass and trees, and beyond the hill is a cloudless blue horizon.

A toy boat that a child pieced together using objects of nature. The boat’s body are four corks secured by multicolored rubber bands; its sail is a green leaf held up by a twig.

A young child crouches close to the ground, with the camera’s focus on their hands as they fill the scoop of a yellow toy tractor with dirt. Leaves and pieces of bark are scattered around.

A child in a red jacket, pink heart-patterned pants, and rain boots crouches down to scoop up mud with bare hands.

Four pieces of cardboard are held together with twine to make a square white frame, which is decorated with purple and yellow wildflowers tied together.

Recent Case Studies

A large group of participants express their excitement at the start of a backpacking trip. Trees and distant mountains fill the horizon behind them.

Program

Wild Hearts Idaho

Wild Hearts Idaho is a non-profit that builds community, confidence, and leadership skills for middle and high school girls through free outdoor adventures.

A close-up shot of Dan riding his trike with a confident grin.

Program

Spokes Fighting Strokes

Spokes Fighting Strokes (Spokes) introduces recovery through exercise and fun by providing recumbent trikes to stroke survivors, amputees, able-bodied humans, and those with or who have had traumatic brain injury (TBI), neck and back injury, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis (MS), and cerebral palsy (CP).

An aerial image of the playground showing play equipment, gathering spaces, and a painted ground mural looping around the playground.

Place

Louis H. Farrell Elementary School

This project was designed to advance literacy and learning goals while promoting playful learning in public schoolyards. Key features include a Gateway Plaza, a Literacy Art Loop, an Outdoor Classroom & Performance Space, separate play areas for older and younger children, and a Native Pollinator Meadow & Nature Discovery Trail.