Nuts and bolts

What’s the cost?

Initial evaluations are $240 and include a one hour 1:1 meeting with the therapist, skilled observation of your child’s strengths and weaknesses, interpretation of assessment scores, some basic education about what the therapist sees, and a in-depth written report. You can see costs (and what’s included) for summer camps (including garden club) and weekly groups on those respective pages.

Do you take insurance?

Alas, no — but we’re happy to provide detailed receipts (“superbills”) you can submit to your insurance company to apply for reimbursement. (We can also accept grants and waiver funds, when appropriate.)

Why don’t you take insurance?

Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t usually cover outdoor therapy… even when they’re provided by an occupational therapist. Interestingly, this ends up being an advantage — we’ve found that we can tie in services that insurance wouldn’t pay for, like parent consults and respite care.

(We’ve put a lot of thought into this decision, and revisit it from time to time — if you have more questions, we’re happy to talk!)

Which level of support is best for our family?

Timing is a factor. “Intensive” means several meetings a month — which might be too much for your family. Intensity is another — most children will progress more quickly with a higher level of support.
For many families, different packages are right at different times of year and different points in the therapy process. You can talk to the therapist more about what this might mean in your specific situation!

Where do you meet?

Our home base is at Everwild Nature School! During the warmer months, some groups will meet a local park. We base this decision on what is best for safety and therapeutic progress for each individual in the group!

What’s respite care?

A fancy term for babysitting! It’s a chance for you to get a break or get some things done, while knowing that your child is in a nourishing environment with therapist support and interaction with a variety of peers. Our occupational therapists run the respite care sessions, which are 3 hours long, weekly during summer sessions, and monthly the rest of the year. The cost is $30/hour/child, but free sessions are included at some levels of support. See this post (on Instagram or Facebook) for a sneak peak into some of the activities we do in respite!

What types of activities will my child participate in?

Outdoor fun, meet intensive therapy! Every session is full of what many think of as old-fashioned play: climbing trees, wading in the river, catching toads and bugs and wooly bear caterpillars, and so much more. In addition, the OT plans therapeutic activities that specifically meet your child where they’re at and build toward their goals. See the links under Services at the top of the website to find out more!

How long are therapy sessions, and how often will my child need to attend?

During the school year, groups meet once a week, for 1-3 hours at a time, depending on the size and needs of the group. Summer camps and respite care are 3 hours, and parent consults are 30 minutes.

How do we get started?

Connect -> Intake -> Evaluate -> Collaborate. We can’t wait to meet you!

Therapy

What’s occupational therapy? How can it help my child?

Sometimes, life is harder than it should be. OT helps people do the things they need and want to do. For kids, this means playing, working, learning, caring for themselves, and interacting with others.

How do you develop a personalized treatment plan for each child?

We figure out what each child’s strengths and weaknesses are, and what your family’s priorities are. (We do this through your intake forms and talking with you and your child, and observing them carefully.)

What types of conditions do you work with?

We love connecting with kids with variety of neurodivergent conditions — ADHD, autism, sensory processing differences, developmental coordination disorder, feeding disorders, and more, in addition to physical, emotional, and cognitive differences.

Do you work with kids who don’t have any diagnoses?

Definitely! If your child is struggling, we want to help them. We also have a few limited spots for peer playmates — kids who don’t need therapy, but who would benefit from the nature-based, developmentally-appropriate activities in a group setting.

Do you offer any other types of therapy — like speech therapy, physical therapy, or mental health?

At present, we don’t employ any specialists in those. That said, we often see improvements in those areas when children participate in the groups. (We also provide referrals to other services as needed. We know lots of really great local people — we’re happy to connect you!)

Can nature-based OT help with school skills?

Yes. We can work on some of the specific skills inside the groups, such as handwriting, fine motor skills, self-regulation techniques, and more. More broadly, when we work on the more foundational abilities — things like motor planning, sensory processing, postural stability, executive functioning — we see the more specific skills improve.

How about home skills, like self-care, meal prep…?

Ditto! See above.

Outdoors

Why do you have sessions outdoors?

SO MUCH of kids’ lives happen indoors - at home, in classrooms, in waiting rooms and exam/treatment rooms, stores and restaurants, etc. A ton of research has shown the many benefits of regular time outdoors, and we love that our sessions can be a part of that.

What about the weather?

Ah, weather. It's the one thing we can't control, no matter how hard we try. But we CAN help provide the right clothing and gear, as well as activities planned around what Mother Nature has to offer that day. And we do end up learning to thrive in any weather! As long as there are no safety threats such as lightning, strong winds, or frostbite temperatures, we spend as much time as we can outdoors. When needed, we have a space we can retreat to warm up or take shelter.

How will you ensure my child's safety during outdoor therapy sessions?

Safety is our top priority, and we take it very seriously and teach the kids to do the same. Our worst injuries have been typical for nature outings - a bit of sunburn, a wasp sting, and some encounters with stinging nettle. Even so, our therapists are trained in and stay up to date with outdoor safety, including CPR and first aid. We also have protocols in place to handle emergency situations, including having a first aid kit, first responder and trauma/severe bleeding supplies, and AED available wherever sessions are being held. Over time, children tend to develop their own wonderful safety awareness outdoors!

What’s the difference between your summer camps & other nature-based summer camps, like Quarry Hill?

We LOVE the camps that places like Quarry Hill and Miss Angie’s Place offer. Our camps are a superpowered version of those. See this post to learn more. We provide your child with the support they need to work through challenges, be successful, and progress toward individual goals, even on the hard days!

My kid doesn’t like being outside — will these groups still be a good fit?

We understand that not everyone is an outdoor enthusiast. But our therapy sessions are designed to be engaging and fun, and we work with each child to find activities they enjoy and ways they can find comfort outdoors. This is one instance that peer pressure is a positive thing too – everyone wants to join in the play and exploration!

People

What qualifications do your therapists have, and how are they trained to work with neurodivergent children?

Our therapists are licensed occupational therapists, and they have extensive training and experience working with neurodivergent children – not only through their work but as parents of neurodivergent children as well! We are passionate about updating our skills and knowledge to provide the best possible care.

Will my child always work with the same therapist, or will they see different therapists at different times?

Unless a therapist is sick, each OT provides all the services for each family on their caseload within a therapy season, from the initial evaluation to groups to respite care to parent consults. We understand how important consistency is for building a relationship and facilitating progress!

How will you communicate with me as the parent about my child's progress?

We believe that communication is key, and often deficient in a clinical setting, so we built a service into our offerings that helps us make this work better. All levels of support receive at least one parent consult per therapy season, which is a 1:1 focused conversation between the therapist and parent to discuss concerns and priorities. We also send an email after each treatment session with an idea to carryover to home; in addition, at the higher levels of support, we send a full report letting you know what activities were completed, what your child did awesome with and what helped support them when they needed help. We also encourage parents to ask questions and provide feedback, as we want to work together to help your child succeed!

What should I expect from my child after attending outdoor therapy sessions?

The first change that we tend to see is an improvement in emotional regulation – often after the very first session. Parents report that their kids are calmer, happier, and more grounded for a time after each meeting. I wish our therapists could take all the credit for that, but there is some strong evidence that nature plays a big role too! And of course each week we’re working on the individual goals that we decided on with you and your child. Nature + OT + social connections + individual support = a wonderfully nourishing environment to help your child thrive.

How can I support their progress at home?

We LOVE this question!! We will share information about this in emails and during the parent consults. Sometimes we will have specific ideas for activities or routines, other times we will have education and resources to help you understand your child (and sometimes yourself!) better. And we are always available to answer questions, just send a message; having a passion for OT means we could happily spend alllllll day talking about it!