NatureLed™ Foundations Immersion - Summer 2026

LO1. Distinguish between nature-based and nature-connective approaches to OT practice and explain how natural environments support nervous system regulatory efficiency.

LO2. Demonstrate personal engagement in the Sit Spot practice and describe its neurobiological mechanism as it relates to nervous system regulation of practitioner and client. 

LO3. Apply Bird Language and Tracking practices to your own sensory experience and connect this to OT sensory integration frameworks.

LO4. Develop a personal nature-connection plan using Mapping and place-based awareness practices as a foundation for practitioner regulatory efficiency and future clinical application.

Total instructional time: 12 contact hours

(720 minutes) · 720 ÷ 60 = 12 contact hours · 12 ÷ 10 = 1.2 CEUs
All breaks and meals are excluded from instructional time calculations.

RxOutside, LLC is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development (APP #0000001590).

PD activity approval ID# will be updated here when the course is approved.

This Distance Learning—Interactive activity, once approved, is offered at 1.2 CEUs, Beginner to Intermediate level, Professional Issues.

The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

Completion Requirements for CEUs

(Course is pending AOTA approval)
AOTA CEUs are awarded only upon satisfactory completion of all three of the following:

1. Attendance at all scheduled instructional sessions across both days
2. Active participation in all guided experiential practices and structured debrief discussions
3. Submission of a completed NatureLed™ Weekend Reflection Form demonstrating attainment of all four learning outcomes and 80% passing grade on 
   Participants who do not meet all completion requirements will be contacted before CEUs are awarded.

Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, OT students and other Allied Health professionals seeking evidence-informed, nature-integrated frameworks for holistic practice, burnout recovery, clinical transformation, and meaningful occupation-based interventions. 
If you care about restoring health, connection, and thriving, you belong.

Kathleen Lockyer, OT/L, occupational therapist, author of Wild Inside, and creator of the NatureLed™ Approach is the primary instructor for all courses. See individual course details for additional instructors.

Kathleen has worked at the intersection of occupational therapy and nature connection for nearly three decades, supporting children, families, and professionals across educational, clinical, and community settings. Her work is grounded in occupational therapy, sensory integration, developmental neuroscience, ecological models of human development and is highly trauma informed.

The NatureLed™ Approach has been shaped through interdisciplinary collaboration and learning alongside occupational therapists, educators, international wildlife trackers and naturalists, and leaders in the nature-connection field, including Jon Young and Richard Louv, among others. These experiences inform the course’s emphasis on ecological awareness, perceptual development, and relational learning as they pertain to participation in the occupations of living.

Kathleen teaches all core instructional content and facilitates live sessions, mentoring calls, and the final capstone experience. Learning is supported through guided implementation, reflection, and outcome-informed discussion to help practitioners integrate nature-connective approaches into sustainable, occupation-centered practice.

Financial disclosure: Kathleen Lockyer is the founder and owner of RxOutside, LLC and the NatureLed™ Institute and receives compensation as the course instructor. She has no other financial relationships with commercial entities relevant to this course content. No commercial sponsorship or product promotion is associated with this course.

Non-financial disclosure: Kathleen Lockyer is the developer of the NatureLed™ Framework and has a professional and personal commitment to nature-connective practice as described in this course.

AOTA CEUs are awarded for educational content only. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

Cancellation Policy:

Live Online or Cohort-Based Online Courses (Live or DL–Interactive)

Refunds for live online or cohort-based professional development activities are based on the number of calendar days prior to the course start date:

14 or more calendar days prior to the course start date
Full refund minus a $25 administrative fee

5–13 calendar days prior to the course start date
75% refund

Less than 5 calendar days prior to the course start date
50% refund

Transfers and Substitutions (Online Courses)

Learners may request a one-time transfer to a future offering of the same PD activity (if available) for a $25 administrative fee.

Transfer requests must be submitted before the original course start date.

Transfers are not guaranteed and are subject to availability.

Transfers may not be applied to a different course or activity.

Failure to Attend / No-Shows

No refunds or transfers will be issued for learners who do not attend an activity without prior written communication.

Failure to log in, arriving late, or incomplete participation does not constitute cancellation.

Provider-Initiated Cancellation

If the provider must cancel or reschedule an activity due to unforeseen circumstances (including instructor illness, safety concerns, weather, or insufficient enrollment):

Learners will be offered the choice of a full refund or a transfer to a future offering of the activity.

Refund requests must be submitted in writing prior to the course start date.

Questions about cancellation or enrollment? Contact us at [email protected] before completing your registration.

Course Description
Foundations of Nature Connection Immersion is a live, synchronous online 2.5 day intensive designed for occupational therapy practitioners and allied health professionals who are ready to experience nature-connection from the inside out — before bringing it to their clients.

This course addresses a documented gap in OT practitioner preparation: the absence of embodied, experiential training that supports practitioners in experiencing the neurobiological effects of nature-connection in their own bodies before applying it clinically. Practitioners consistently report value-practice conflict, moral distress, and professional burnout rooted in the systemic demands of reductionist clinical environments (Penny et al., 2014; Slater, 2016). The NatureLed™ Framework offers a scientifically grounded explanation for this distress and a clinically defensible pathway out of it.

Over two full days of guided, experiential learning, participants will move through the core NatureLed™ practices — including the StillPoint™, Environmental Listening, TrailSense™, SenseScaping™ and SenseMapping™ as participants in their own regulatory restoration. This embodied experience forms the essential foundation for Level 3: Applied Nature Connection, in which practitioners learn to translate these practices into defensible, occupation-centered clinical interventions across the full breadth of OT practice — including fine and gross motor development, motor coordination and praxis, sensory processing across pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations, ADL and IADL performance, executive function, and social participation — in clinical, school-based, community, and home settings.

• Instructional Methods
  Live instructor-led demonstration and presentation
• Guided experiential practice in participants' own outdoor environments
• Small group discussion and structured debrief
• Case-based discussion connecting practice to clinical OT application
• Pre-weekend preparation materials (provided prior to course)
• Individual structured written reflection (assessment instrument)

Prerequisitess

• Completion of the NatureLed™ Level 1 foundational webinar — Nature-Connection as a Meaningful Occupation (Will be provided upon registration for participants who have not already completed this webinar) 
• No prior experience with nature-based practice or outdoor programming is necessary

Title: Foundations of Nature Connection: A Weekend Intensive for OT Practitioners

Date: July 10-13

Location: Online — Live Synchronous (Distance Learning—Interactive)

Provider: RxOutside, LLC and the NatureLed™ Institute

Contact: [email protected]

Educational Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Audience: Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, OTS, Allied Health Professionals

(Course Approval Pending) AOTA CEUs: 1.2 AOTA CEUs / 12 contact hours

Content Category: Professional Issues — OT Education

RxOutside, LLC and The NatureLed™ Institute are committed to providing accessAble and inclusive professional development programming. 

Accessibility supports may include, when feasible, captioning or transcripts for recorded content, accessible digital materials, and alternative participation options for live sessions. Course content is delivered using platforms selected for clarity, ease of navigation, and compatibility with assistive technologies.

Learners who require accommodations to support participation are encouraged to submit a written request at least 14 days prior (but not less than seven) to the course or live session start date, whenever possible. Requests are reviewed on an individual, case-by-case basis to determine reasonable accommodations while maintaining the integrity of course learning outcomes.

Accommodation requests may be submitted via email to:

📧 [email protected]

Our Commitment
We are committed to creating learning environments that are respectful, transparent, and accessible. Safety, dignity, and inclusion guide all program planning decisions. We welcome humans across the diversity spectrum. 

Certificate of Completion
Upon successful completion of all course requirements — including active participation across 2.5 days and submission of the NatureLed™ Weekend Reflection Form — every learner receives an official NatureLed™ Certificate of Completion.
This certificate is your formal record of professional development. It documents the specific contact hours and AOTA Approved CEUs earned, the course title and dates, and your instructor's credentials. Your certificate reflects continuing education that meets the APP Criteria and Guidelines for quality, evidence-informed, occupation-centered practice.

NatureLed™ Institute is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID# is pending. 

The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA, or AOTA approval of a certification or other professional recognition.

The NatureLed™ Digital Badge
Separate from your AOTA certificate, NatureLed™ Institute offers a digital badge system to recognize your progression through the practitioner pathway. These badges are a NatureLed™ designation — they reflect your depth of commitment to the Ecological Model and your personal embodiment of the framework.

They are not issued by or affiliated with AOTA.

NatureLed™ Foundations Badge
Awarded upon completion of Level 2: Foundations of Nature Connection.
This badge recognizes your personal embodiment of the Core Routines. It signals that you have begun the work to establish the foundational neuro-biological practices necessary to step into a nature-integrative practice.