FAMILIES

The therapeutic power of nature

Nature is essential for children’s healthy development – and a powerful ally for family service providers.  Incorporating nature-based activities in programming that engages the whole family offers many benefits, from strengthening family bonds to improving health and well-being. Time together in nature can also relieve stress and help families heal from trauma.  

Organizations including the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, Casey Family Programs, public libraries and more are achieving program goals by connecting families to nature. Whether you’re redesigning a program or starting something new, contact us to learn more

Contact us
A natural remedy: For social workers striving to help keep kids out of foster care, nature-based interventions can be a powerful tool

A natural remedy: For social workers striving to help keep kids out of foster care, nature-based interventions can be a powerful tool

By James Norton
Nature helps children recover from Adverse Childhood Experiences

Nature Helps Children Recover From Trauma

Family Nature Play eGuide

Self Care in Nature infographic

Health & Well-being infographic
When we engage families in outdoor experiences, we see strengthened relationships with opportunities for healing from trauma. When we include parents and caregivers as a key part of nature-based experiences, it’s more likely that the family will continue to spend time together outdoors, with nature as a restorative part of daily life.
Patsy Sellars, Managing Director at Casey Family Programs

Featured Resources

Youth and Family Engagement Boards

How do the children and families that you work with spend time outdoors? Use this resource to help them explore the types of nature activities they are participating in, and to reflect on their experiences. This is also a great tool for nature experience goal setting.

Read More

Webinar Recording: Self-Care in Nature

Watch the February 8 recording of our first Families Together in Nature event — Self-Care in Nature, featuring Nicole Jackson, Kari Kleven MSW, LICSW, Sonny LaForm, LSWAIC, MSW and Renā Trujillo.

Watch Recording

Benefits of Nature-based Interventions for Children Encountering ACEs

This infographic presents 5 key outcomes of nature-based interventions for children and families encountering Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES).

Read More
Explore More Resources

Featured Research

Family Engagement with Nature

Family-based nature engagement – when children and their parents or caregivers experience a nature-based activity together – can take place everywhere from the backyard to parks and wilderness and even in women’s shelters and prisons. As this Research Digest shows, spending time in nature as a family is good for the whole family.

Learn More

Therapeutic use of nature

Nature-based therapy is based on research findings suggesting that contact with nature enhances various aspects of human well-being and can alleviate and/or prevent some mental health disorders or concerns. This issue of the Research Digest focuses on therapeutic uses of nature and the outcomes documented with various populations.

Learn More

Nature Builds Resilience

Now more than ever, nature is being seen as essential. And with good reason. As the research featured in this special issue of the Digest suggests, accessing neighborhood nature is an important strategy for building resilience, buffering stress, and recovering from adversity.

Learn More
Explore More Studies

SUPPORT OUR WORK

Help us make sure that all children live, learn and grow with nature in their daily lives.

Donate Membership

Partners: