ConnectByNature Therapy Services

About

ConnectbyNature Therapy Services provides programs to promote biophilic health™ and optimize child development by fostering a deep connection between children and nature.

Categories Program Children & Youth Community & Advocacy Mental Health Therapeutic

Program Details

Overview

Biophilic health™ is a way to describe a state of wellbeing where people exist and thrive in relationship with nature, the earth, and all living things. Our programs promote biophilic health™ and optimize child development by fostering a deep connection between children and nature. Through nature connection children can experience nature’s health benefits and learn from nature’s life strategies how to be resilient and live sustainably in a changing environment and climate.

Program goals

To optimize child health and development through nature assisted therapy and nature assisted social emotional learning.
To promote better health outcomes for Indigenous children and youth alongside their peers.
To nurture empathy in childhood and a sense of belonging with the ‘more than human’ world.
To learn from nature’s life strategies how to be resilient and live sustainably in a changing environment and climate.
To develop relationships to the land and promote place-based learning and healing that brings attention to and shows respect for nature and its intelligence, Indigenous history, Indigenous peoples, and knowledge.

Community needs addressed by ConnectbyNature

We serve children, youth and families affected by a range of issues impacting upon their social- emotional health and well-being including:

Neurodevelopmental differences such as ADHD and learning differences, autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy)
Sensory processing issues
Problems with emotional regulation
Anxiety and stress
Grief, trauma, and loss
Depression and hopelessness
Climate anxiety

Contact Nancy Rushford, Director and Co-Founder n.rushford@connectbynature.ca (905) 630-1909 ConnectByNature

Future Plans for ConnectbyNature

Health Education and Health Promotion

To promote awareness of biophilic health™ through health education and health promotion activities, storytelling, writing and publication.

Clinical Services:

To co-create culturally appropriate programs with Indigenous partners, educators, and organizations to better serve Indigenous children and youth alongside their peers.

Professional Development

To deliver quality professional development resources and opportunities specific to biophilic health™ and the integration of nature into professional practice within health care contexts, both online and in person.

Research and Collaboration

To make connections and develop partnerships that bridge nature with health; to engage in collaborative and participatory research that respects diverse perspectives and ways of knowing and learning.

Comfort zone. A therapist and child are exploring a lush forest, wading through a shallow stream. They are wearing casual summer clothes as they navigate the green, leafy vegetation. Together they hold a stick as they move through the water.

Building a fort. A boy, wearing a gray shirt, blue shorts, and black gloves is standing in a wooded area, working on a structure made of large, interwoven branches. The ground is covered with leaves and the background is lush with green trees.

The gratitude tree. A person with short hair leans in against a large tree with multiple trunks in a forest. He is wearing a black and blue jacket and grey pants. Branches and early spring foliage surround him, and the sky above is clear with patches of blue.

A child in a red shirt is painting outdoors on a white canvas set up on an easel. The scene is surrounded by green trees and foliage. A green bucket is placed on the easel's lower shelf, and there is a stream flowing nearby. The child is painting with browns and other earthy tones.

Holding a gaze: Animal assisted social skill development. A teenager in a dark jacket and blue jeans kneels on the forest floor, smiling and petting a tabby cat. He is surrounded by fallen autumn leaves as sunlight gently filters through the trees in the background.

A young boy is midair, playfully diving onto a pile of large teddy bears on a red blanket in a grassy area surrounded by trees. The scene takes place outdoors.

A young boy with blonde hair sits in a small plastic sled in a shallow stream surrounded by lush foliage. Holding a stick and wearing a red shirt and black pants he is enjoying an outdoor adventure.

Other Details

List of Services Offered

Nature assisted occupational therapy
Nature assisted psychotherapy and social- emotional learning.
Animal assisted psychotherapy and social emotional learning
Culturally appropriate education and health promotion activities
Spiritual/ social-emotional growth and wellness groups with Indigenous teachers, advisors, and community partners.

Staff Composition

Multidisciplinary (registered mental health providers/ psychotherapists, occupational therapists, Indigenous cultural advisor, physician, nature and equine assisted learning facilitators, and volunteers.

Cost to Participate

Individual therapy sessions $ 175 /hour (the cost may be covered in full or part under personal health insurance plans and government assistance programs).

Group sessions: cost varies; some programs are free/partially funded

Recent Case Studies

A child in a blue shirt and a child in a red shirt are playing the game Twister outdoors, on a surface of dried grass and leaves.

Program

Integrative OT

The Integrative OT program model provides nature-based occupational therapy services for children in the Birmingham, Alabama area. Integrative OT also co-hosts free Heeling Cancer hikes with a local massage therapist for adults undergoing cancer treatment or who are cancer survivors of any kind.

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.

Program

Bearfoot Occupational Therapy

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.

A large group of participants line up for a photo at the edge of a hill. They are all dressed in biking gear and have their arms thrown up in the air as a sign of triumph; some also have bikes by their sides. The background is a beautiful shot of a vast canyon, with rolling green hills that disappear far into the horizon. The clear sky overhead is lit up by a bright sun.

Program

The Cycle Effect - Building Belonging on Bikes

The Cycle Effect uses mountain biking as a catalyst to mentor riders and foster belonging, physical wellbeing, mental health, community engagement, leadership skills, and fun outside. The Cycle Effect provides bikes, gear, transportation, bilingual coaching, and low-cost programming to eliminate barriers to entry for an otherwise exclusive sport.