Nature-based Play Therapy: Why and How to Honor Children’s Connection to the Outdoors — Sep 19, 2025
Connection to the natural world offers a wealth of benefits for children across domains of development. From decreasing symptom severity of ADHD to increasing emotional self-regulation, researchers consistently find children improve with increased nature contact. Counselors have started to expand on this knowledge by exploring the therapeutic benefits of including nature in play therapy. This experiential workshop will introduce participants to nature-based play therapy grounded in child-centered play therapy principles and the research that supports this growing practice. Participants will leave the workshop with tangible ideas for integrating nature into their play therapy spaces – both indoors and outdoors.
Presenter: Dr. Kimberly Autrey, Ph.D., LMHC, RPT, NCC
Location: Seattle University Campus
Date/Time: Friday, September 19, 2025 @ 9am – 4pm PST
CE Hours: 5 APT-Approved Contact hours*
*These CE hours are applicable for the Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential and other mental health credentials in WA as “approved by an industry-recognized local, state, national, international organization or institution of higher learning” [WAC 246-809-610(3)(a)]. For other states, please consult your state-specific CE requirements.
Price: $200
This is an in-person training. Participants will receive an email with training details a few days before the training date. Be sure to check your spam folder as well.
Availability: In stock
Description
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will identify at least 2 documented benefits for nature contact in children across each of the domains of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
- Participants will describe 3 ways including nature in play therapy aligns with CCPT principles.
- Participants will apply ACT limit-setting within the context of other-than-human relationships that occur in nature-based CCPT.
- Participants will describe one nature-based play therapy intervention that can be applied in a traditional indoor therapy room.
- Participants will describe one nature-based play therapy intervention that can be applied in an outdoor setting such as a garden or park.
- Participants will describe 2 strategies for ethical considerations around confidentiality when conducting outdoor-based interventions.
Dr. Kimberly Autrey, Ph.D., LMHC, RPT, NCC, is a faculty member in the Counselor Education Department at City University of Seattle. She has over a decade of experience working with young children and their families as a child-centered play therapist. Dr. Autrey is a passionate researcher, writer, and practitioner of integrating nature-based treatments with CCPT.
APT Approved Provider 18-545