Requirements: 

• Graduate of an accredited OT program (New grads welcome!)

• Holds a current OT license in Minnesota

• CPR (BLS) and First Aid certified

What would I be doing in sessions? 

Leading small groups of 2 to 5 kids out into the woods! You would spend time hiking, helping connect them to nature and pay attention to their senses. As problems pop up, you would be helping the kids solve the problems together. 

What would I be doing out of sessions? 

Before sessions, you would be planning fun treatment activities that fit with kids’ individualized goals. After sessions, you would be communicating with parents in conversations and emails (and scheduled parent consultations) and completing the usual documentation of our profession — daily notes, progress reports, etc. 

Anything else I would be doing? 

As new families come in, you would be doing evaluations, collaborating with them to set treatment goals. For families that sign up for a higher level of support, you might be providing individual sessions and respite care. 

What ages of kids would I be working with? 
Potentially, quite a range! We currently have groups for children 5–14, and are always open to expanding to younger and older clients. You wouldn’t need to work with all those ranges, however — feel free to let us know what ages you work best with! 

What great people would this NOT be a good fit for? 
As we use a relationship-based approach, if your philosophy is more strict or focused on rewards/consequences, you may not be happy in this position. As we trust our OTs to take groups of kids into the wilderness, if you don’t have a track record of being impeccably responsible and able to calmly handle safety issues, this job would be a poor fit. And as we’re parent-empowering, if you have a burning itch to criticize parents, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere! 

What might make an applicant stand out? 
Do you radiate kindness? Do you connect easily with kids? Have you practiced trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming care? Do you have a deep appreciation of nature and the ability to help kids calm down and advocate for themselves? Can you share any ways that Nurture in Nature could improve our approach or offerings? Can you demonstrate clarity of writing and communication? Any of that would be particularly impressive. 

I would love to get better at my craft! How much mentorship can you give? 
We can provide direct mentoring to employees, along with an orientation process that includes shadowing and nature-based therapy education. There are also some great online resources about nature-based OT, including a free virtual community. Start here for a variety of options to learn more about this area of practice: lauraparkfig.mykajabi.com 

Is this a part-time or full-time position? 
Part-time at first, as we build your caseload, and you decide where we top the hours at. You get paid for both direct client time and indirect (planning, documentation, etc.). We have an administrative assistant who can help you with the intake process for each new client, and group assistants who are your extra set of hands during and after each group!

Would I be an employee or a contractor? 
You would be a W2 employee, with all the financial and career support that comes along with that.

How many hours do you have available? 
We’re actually flexible on this. If you’re only able to take this on as a side-job, no problem! Most groups are scheduled for after-school or weekend times, but they can be worked into whatever availability the therapist and families have.

What does the application process look like?
1. Apply! Email your resume and a cover letter. We’ll email back to schedule a time for step 2.
2. Come meet us! Talk with the OT owner and tag along with a therapy group.
3. Give it a try! We’ll give you all the information you need so that you can plan and implement 1 group activity and 30 minutes of supported free play with one of our therapy groups, supported by an OT the whole time.
4. Orientation, assuming we decide we’re a good fit for each other!
— Week 1: Paperwork, shadowing, and learning, including this Nature-Based Therapy Boot Camp.
— Week 2: Actively assisting with OT groups.
— Week 3: Leading OT groups with OT owner assisting.
— Week 4: Leading OT groups independently with daily mentoring chats with OT owner.
5. Ongoing mentoring, weekly 1:1 chats at first, and then we’ll find the rhythm that works best for both of us, with a goal of you feeling respected and supported in your career growth!

I’m interested! What do I do next? 
Send an email to info@nintherapy.com with your resume and a cover letter explaining why you would be a good fit for us. We look forward to connecting with you! 

Further questions?
Click the button and ask away!