Nature-Based Therapy: (re)Discovering the Power of Play and Awe

Therapeutic work outside with clients allows clinicians and clients access to powerful forces that promote well-being and healing. Leaning into playfulness with clients of all ages and being open to experiences of awe are pathways to awakening aliveness. This highly interactive workshop will give participants the opportunity to experience playing in nature themselves and learn how to incorporate nature-based play into psychotherapy sessions with children AND with adults! The training will include experientials, case examples, demonstrations, small group practice and reflection.

If you have already attended a Nature-Based/Ecotherapy introductory session offered by Becky or Kari, this workshop will provide an opportunity to deepen your practice and build confidence in conducting therapy outdoors.

We will meet outside at Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington. We will be sitting on the ground, standing, walking for about a quarter mile or so in the woods and there will be opportunities for more active play. Please let us know if you have any concerns about mobility and we can figure it out together. Please wear clothing that you can be comfortable in outside for the morning. (See FAQ for the rain plan.)

The providers with Minneapolis Nature-Based Therapy have had more than 5,000 sessions outside with clients since 2021. We have learned so much and are excited to share our experiences; we want this field to grow, for the benefit of clients and providers alike.

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Note that this workshop is part of a series that has been offered in 2025.

• Friday May 30, 2025. 9:30 - 3:30 (6 CEU hours provided). Intro to Outdoor Ecotherapy for Mental Health Professionals Registration
• July 28, 9:00 - 12:30. (3.5 CEU hours provided). Somatic Work in Nature-Based Therapy registration
• Note that the Decolonizing Nature-Based Therapy workshop originally planned for November 2025 has been moved to early spring 2026. Date TBA. Will include ethics CEUs. Feel free to email or text Kari to indicate interest in this workshop.

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Discounts are available for students and for clinicians from under-represented groups in the mental health field. Just use the code STUDENT at checkout to take $40 off the cost.

Also feel to reach out if cost is a barrier. We are committed to making this training accessible to all.

If you would rather not pay the eventbrite fees you can email Kari to register and pay by check or another way. (The actual cost of the workshop is $120.)

Note: Minneapolis Nature-Based Therapy is an approved CE Provider by the Minnesota Board of Social Work. Other professions can self-submit for CEU credit.

Learning objectives for the workshop include:

1. Participants will feel more empowered to to create and engage in nature-based play interventions.
2. Participants will both experience and facilitate nature-based play interventions.
3. Participants will learn a framework for conceptualizing nature-based play interventions.
4. Participants will gain knowledge about the power of partnering with nature for therapeutic interventions that will benefit themselves and clients.

Feel free to reach out to Kari with any questions. [email protected]. 612-562-1252.

Info: Introductions. Overview of schedule and objectives. Land Acknowledgment. Orienting to the space. Encouragement to feel into what it is like to experience nature as a therapeutic partner throughout our time together.

Info: Experience and reflection. What does it feel like to engage in mindful or silly play? How is it to play outside in nature as opposed to being inside? Some folks might be within their comfort zone, others not. What do we learn about this "state" that might be useful therapeutically?

Info: The benefits of including play in therapy for clients of all ages. How being in nature enhances and strengths play. Conceptualization of therapeutic play interventions . Handout provided.

Info: Review a handout of various interventions we have used with clients of all ages. Demonstrations of several interventions. Opportunities to reflect on your own clients and style and how to incorporate play with or in nature. Work in “therapist – client” pairs with an intervention of your choice, switching roles. Time for reflection with the group.

Info: Sharing reflections, questions, takeaways. Are there ways that working with nature as a therapeutic partner in play could support you in your work moving forward?

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