Nature is for everyone and everyone needs nature.
In a greater effort to support all learners in a natural environment, EverWild is collaborating with qualified Nature Based Therapists who are licensed, skilled, and adept at supporting children with learning differences and disabilities in an outdoor environment. Nature-based therapists provide observations, guidance, and steps that specifically address the needs of the child and provide a plan to best support them during their time in nature. If you feel your child may benefit from the support of a Nature-based therapist, we recommend reaching out to one of the qualified professionals that we have collaborated with in the greater Los Angeles area (listed below).
Scheduling an observation day
Observation days require 2 payments, one to EverWild to reserve your child's spot in the class, and one to the qualified therapist for their services. We provide a 50% discounted rate to families to support them with an affordable opportunity to see how we can best support their child. EverWild is unable to provide refunds should the observation day result in an early pick-up. We are unable to accommodate families joining their child for the observation day.
To schedule an observation day with a qualified therapist:
1. Contact EverWild to discuss your child's learning differences or disabilities.
2. Contact one of our partnered therapists to discuss their rates and to see what their availability is beginning no sooner than 1 week from the day.
3. Contact our office to see what our class availability is and enroll for an observation day at EverWild.
4. Confirm the class date with the therapist and provide payment for their services (costs are subject to the therapist's rates).
Qualified Nature-Based Therapists in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Lorelei Woerner
OTR/L, C-IAYT, E-RYT500
Santa Monica, CA
Lorelei is the developer of the Integrative Wellness Therapy® philosophy, the whole-person method for resilience and wellness, with a focus on supporting tween and teen well-living. She blends over 30 years in western medicine as an Occupational Therapist with 15+ years of complementary studies, including a Yoga Therapy certification from the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
Lorelei has brought this holistic view of wellness to a variety of settings, including private practice, pediatrics, home health, rehab, and psych. She enjoys taking the therapy out of the clinic and in to daily life, providing therapy in vivo (beach, hikes, parks, ranches, on boats), including Equine Assisted Therapy and Hippotherapy. She is a national speaker on integrative therapy topics and has written several accompanying handbooks: Executive Function Beyond the Prefrontal Cortex, fine motor skills, and therapeutic uses of the iPad Beyond the Apps. She is a Fieldwork Educator for Occupational Therapy Students, is on faculty with the Optimal State yoga therapy programs, and provides private therapy services.
Jamie Cruz
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Available in Santa Clarita, CA
Jamie has worked in a variety of settings including school-based practice, early intervention, home-based and clinic-based private practice for the last 15 years. Jamie is certified in Ayres Sensory Integration Praxis Test (SIPT) theory and intervention. She has extensive clinical experience working with children who struggle with motor development, executive functioning (sequencing, motor planning, problem solving), self-regulation, social skills, anxiety disorders and sensory processing. She has a special interest in using play-based and outdoor nature-based modalities in her Occupational therapy private practice. Jamie feels passionate about using a holistic family centered approach to empower caregivers and their children to be the best version of themselves. She and her husband have 3 young children and have been homeschooling their children for the last 6 years in Santa Clarita. Jamie is actively involved in the community and enjoys camping, visiting national parks, going to the beach, hiking, and traveling.
Taking Therapy Outdoors
Are you a pediatric therapist but needing more guidance to bring your practice outdoors?
Laura Park Figueroa MS, OTR/L founded Outdoor Kids OT in 2015 and later developed Therapy in the Great Outdoors to support pediatric therapists by providing them with evidence-backed trainings and resources that position them to confidently take their practice outdoors. This training utilizes the ConTiGO (Connection & Transformation in the Great Outdoors) Approach- the nature-based therapeutic intervention model designed to guide pediatric therapy for children who have challenges with motor coordination, confidence, self-regulation, and social skills. Based on research from the fields of psychology, outdoor education, and occupational therapy, the ConTiGO Approach is an evidence-based framework to guide best practice in nature-based therapy with children. It can be used by therapists from a variety of disciplines (occupational, physical, or speech therapists, mental health counselors, psychologists, social workers, and more).
Additional Resources for Families
The professionals below are available to support your child through a variety of therapeutic mediums outside of EverWild. Due to licensure, they are not available for an observation day at EverWild.
Kate Ulbrich
E-RYT 500 - Optimal State Yoga Therapist
Santa Monica, CA
Kate started both her classroom teaching and yogic journeys while living abroad in Seoul, South Korea over a decade ago. During this very transformative time, she increased awareness of herself and the world around her and it became clear that she wanted to figure out a way to help support the youth during their own transformative years. She continued teaching after returning to the States in 2015 and began utilizing mindfulness and yoga in the classroom whenever possible. In 2017 she moved from Chicago to Los Angeles with her now husband and began working towards her yoga therapy credentials. She did 3 years of study at Loyola Marymount University and it was in her 3rd year that she met Amy Wheeler with Optimal State Yoga Therapy 865. Amy’s program offered a focus on mental health, which is something Kate is passionate about, and she decided to transfer programs and now plans to achieve her C-IAYT in 2023. Between both programs combined she has over 800 hours of study and has even been able to put some of this knowledge to work in the classroom. For the last 4.5 years Kate had the opportunity to work in a 1:1 environment with students from all types of backgrounds, many of whom struggled with mental health and social emotional issues. It was here that she was able to witness the positive effects of empowering the youth with tools that support them in developing healthy, satisfying relationships with themselves, others, and the world around them. She is grateful for all of the teachers that have come before her and will continue to honor them as she continues to do this work and make a positive impact in the world. Kate is available to provide 1:1 therapy for individuals through her teaching and yoga therapy