utdoor
Integrative Therapies
Now accepting
applications for college
student practicum
or internship site
placement!
Skills Training Programs
Our Skills Training programs offer behavioral support to children, tweens and teens utilizing experiential approaches in natural settings. We aim to improve skills for those with mental health disorders, behavioral challenges, or developmental disabilities and specialize in individuals who struggle with symptoms related to ADHD and high functioning neurodivergent (ASD) diagnoses. Our Skills Training programs are usually delivered in a group format, allowing participants a wide range of benefits, including boosting confidence and establishing a sense of understanding within a peer group. OIT also supports individuals who do not identify with an ADHD or ASD diagnosis and in addition, can offer adjunct support as a component of a combined treatment model if already under the care of a mental healthcare provider outside of the OIT agency. In this case, a referral from the primary mental health care provider is required.
Occupational Therapy Programs
Coming soon to Outdoor Integrative Therapies is our nature-based and equine-facilitated Occupational Therapy programs, which focuses on helping children, tween and teens who experience greater challenges in physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities be as independent as possible in all areas of their lives. Supports will be offered in an individual and/or group setting.
Our outdoor approach to OT helps facilitate more confidence, coordination and connection to friends and nature. All of our programs take place on a farm with horses, chickens, goats and more!
We Can Help Make Gains In The Following Areas
Insurance Plans We Are Currently In Network With
OHP/OpenCard
Healthshare of Oregon
Trillium Health
Yamhill County Community Health
Aetna Health Commercial Plans
MORE TO COME!
Starting Services with Us . . . How it Works
Outdoor Integrative Therapies is accepting requests for services for ages 7-17 who would benefit from developing skills that aid in behavior support. We specialize in assisting to build resiliency in symptoms of anxiety, low frustration tolerance, anger, lack of focus and direction, depression, low self-esteem, negative self-talk, emotional regulation and other symptomatology that often accompanies ADHD and/or ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnoses. Additionally, we enjoy collaborating with professional mental health practitioners within the community to offer adjunct support to their clients as part of their ongoing treatment plan. Participants without an ADHD or ASD diagnoses are welcome to participate in our programs as well. This is a place for children, teens and their parents and caregivers to find community and support!
Our intake and assessment process will help determine if our services will be appropriate and whether they will take place through our skills training programs, occupational therapy programs, mental health counseling programs, or a combination thereof. It is important to understand that we specialize in short-term, experiential, solution-focused options and parenting/family support. Our goal is to provide practical skills that can be implemented in the "here and now". If you are in need of a different kind of mental health support, please see some of our options listed within our resource page below. Our most popular programs are our group skills sessions. Our skills groups take place weekly on our farm in Sherwood/Wilsonville (conveniently located off of I-5) and average 10-12 weeks in length. Additionally, clients may be allowed to participate in more than one skills training session or group each week, so long as they are not on the same day and so long as it meets medical necessity as part of an ongoing treatment plan.
Our Team
Laurie Branch, Skills Trainer, Co-Founder
As a graduate from the university of Hawaii at Manoa and a native, Oregonian, Laurie’s passion lies in the healing power of animals and the great outdoors. She started speaking for the environment at a young age, and one of her college papers was presented to the Hawaii state senate to Introduce The Bottle Bill to Hawaii.
Laurie has spent years coaching youth basketball, track, taekwondo, kickboxing, and many equestrian sports.
With a commercial fisherman for a father, she’s as comfortable on the ocean, as she is on land, but she is most at peace on the back of a horse. Horses have found their way into her professional life on multiple occasions, from teaching at a few local facilities and running a pro rodeo drill team to coaching an international equestrian team, and running a trail riding Program abroad. Throughout the summer, you can find her out in the woods, Horse camping with the youth in her riding program.
Laurie prides herself on being a strong, female role model for the next generation to look up to. She believes in leading by example. A QMHA certified skills trainer, you will find Laurie leading skills groups on the farm with the assistance of her horses, dogs, cats and chickens.
Justin Panneck, LPC, PhD
Dr. Justin Panneck is one of OIT's fearless leaders! His current role is to conduct intakes and assessments for prospective new youth clients while running MyndRavyn Creative Therapy Solutions, the adult programming opportunities that he provides out in the community at many parks and trails and at Outdoor Integrative Therapies. Justin has spent the last 8 years as a nature-based therapist, utilizing the healing aspects of nature and engaging in deep-rooted human endeavors such as forest archery, shelter and fire building, guided mushroom foraging, nature art, paddle boarding, and specialized ceremonies and rituals. Through MyndRavyn, he specializes in services for adults, including life coaching, spiritual development, personal growth, getting unstuck, life transitions, career success, self-esteem and self-image, men’s issues, and rites of passage, and values the therapeutic relationship above all else. Justin is able to provide a unique balance of humor, creativity, and practical tools developed from a combination of psychological-cultural science, research, observation, and close to a decade of therapeutic sessions. In his spare time, Justin enjoys reading fiction, playing guitar, flute and drums; backpacking and hiking, gardening and mushroom foraging.
Kate Shearer, LCSW
Family Support Counselor & Student Internship Supervisor
Kate grew up in Colorado and moved to Oregon in 2012 after receiving her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. She immediately began working for an outpatient mental health agency serving clients and their families within the local school districts served by her agency. Her therapeutic approach focuses on the importance of families involvement in children's success and positive change. She is skilled in strategic and structural therapeutic interventions and thorough case coordination. Understanding available community resources is very important to Kate, and she enjoys community and partner collaboration in order to fully serve and empower her clients. Additionally, Kate is a registered mental health supervisor to new and incoming mental health professionals!
In her free time, Kate enjoys playing and exploring with her family, including multiple children and 2 dogs. She runs and does yoga often and enjoys staying active.
Katharine Yeaton, CADC I, Skills Trainer
Katharine Yeaton is a native Oregonian, born in Portland and who grew up playing in the backyard of the Pacific Northwest. Katharine is a qualified mental health associate who graduated from Portland State
University with an emphasis on neurology and addictions, including technology addictions of youth. She is a certified drug and alcohol counselor, as well as a Peer Recovery Mentor and a Skills Trainer. She has advanced training in non-violent and effective communication strategies. Additionally, Katharine is certified in the EAGALA model of Equine Assisted Learning and is passionate about the healing powers of horses. She has worked in the Mental Health Field since 2015, serving a diverse population in unique outdoor settings and enjoys incorporating archery, equine assisted activities and sustainable gardening into her therapeutic work with others.
Katharine is a Master Gardner who loves to share her plant knowledge. She also harvests Mason Bees!
In her previous experience, she owned and operated a horse farm in Virginia for ten years, as well
as developed a riding program for Hampton University that served underprivileged youth who attended Upward Bound. Katharine likes to spend her time sailing, skiing, hiking, gardening, and cooking. She is passionate about the earth and taking care of nature and animals.
Leah Shuyler, LPC,
New Client Intake & Student Internship Coordinator
Leah Shuyler has a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College with a specialty in Ecopsychology. She also holds a Certificate in Yoga Calm™ for Children where she is the Yoga Calm Certification Manager and Online Course Manager. She is also a certified TRE provider (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) and mentor trainee. Leah is a Certified USA Archery Instructor as well as a Certified EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) professional.
Leah worked with Yoga Calm to integrate Ecopsychology principles and activities into their program and co-authored, "Earth Warriors | Protecting the Planet through Love, Knowledge & Action," published in November 2021. Additionally, she has been working as an ecotherapist and equine assisted therapist for a decade. Leah has been involved in environmental advocacy and environmental education activities since she was a child, working on community service projects, speaking at conferences, and acting as a delegate for the International Youth Environmental Summit. Leah also served a year in AmeriCorps’s Envirocorps, where she provided environmental education to youth in the Portland Metro area.
Leah has been passionate about helping people and the planet since she was a young child. She enjoys spending time in nature and with her family and friends and her two sibling puppies. She is also excited about her new passion for raising chickens. And she loves learning about the environment and different cultures from around the world.
Heidi Paget, Skills Trainer
Heidi Paget is first and foremost an animal enthusiast and horse lover and has worked as a trail guide in Maui and Sequoia National Park, as a veterinarian technician at a large animal hospital, and has trained and showed Hunter/ Jumpers in Palos Verdes, California.
Heidi is a graduate from The University of Puget Sound with a bachelors degree in Communications and Theatre Arts, earning top honors in Directing! A change of her journey ensued when a tragic accident struck Heidi's family, leaving her brother with quadripelgia. This led Heidi towards pursuing passions for all things restorative and rehabilitative. Thus, the true "dream job" path emerged, with Heidi eventually morphing horses with people. Heidi attended Mt. Hood Community College to complete their Physical Therapy Assistant program and added PATH certification (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) and Level I Hippotherapy certification to her skillset. Heidi has several years experience exploring the wonderful world of Hippotherapy and Equine Assisted Therapy, allowing her to witness the magical healing of outdoor learning and animal-assisted supports. Additionally, Heidi is still enjoying her position after 6 years in an acute-care hospital at an outpatient cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation facility.
Jasmine Wilder, Mental Health
Student Intern
Jas is a driven and passionate individual with an interest in giving power back to members of the community through empowerment and a holistic approach. She has spent her career thus far working with and being inspired by children and families of different socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds in the United States and abroad. Jas achieved her B.A in Spanish Linguistics and International Relations from New Mexico State University in 2016, after which she quickly found her way to grassroots human rights organizations, where she primarily worked with immigrant populations. She is bilingual & Bi-literate in English/Spanish and currently working toward her Master of Social Work degree. She has worked with school districts, non-profit organizations, and is currently a community organizer with a labor union. She has lived all over the world and found that her greatest joy is adventuring outdoors. She enjoys gardening and farming, scuba diving, dancing, backpacking, and spending time with her loved ones. She is working toward becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker to do outdoor, horticultural, and other eco-therapeutic interventions with historically underserved populations. She believes that humans' inherent connection with the natural world can offer abundant opportunities for healing and hopes to weave this work together with environmental conservation in the future.
Nicollet Young, Occupational Therapy
Student Intern
Nicollet is from Minnesota where she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's in Developmental Psychology. She enjoys hiking, paddleboarding, snorkeling, and ziplining. Previously, she was a preschool teacher and a pediatric nursing assistant. Currently, she is attending Pacific University Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program.
Our Partners in Mental Health Counseling Services
We love collaborating and have formed strong partnerships with the below community partners. If you or someone you know is in need of mental health counseling services with a nature-based perspective, please connect with any of these amazing resources. You can link directly to their websites by clicking on their logo!
Crisis Line Information
If you are experiencing a medical, mental health or substance use crisis, please call 911, your county crisis line, or go directly to your nearest emergency room. Typically, your mental health or medical provider will be notified of the situation for follow up care.
Clackamas County Crisis Line: 503-655-8585
Multnomah County Crisis Lin: 503-988-4888
Washington County Crisis Line: 503-291-9111
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
YouthLine (crisis line for teens) 1-877-968-8491 (or text 'Teen2Teen' to 839863)
Billing & Insurance
Outdoor Integrative Therapies, in program collaboration within MyndRavyn Creative Therapy Solutions accepts the following insurance plans:
SERVICE COSTS
**Discounts given for cash-pay. Please email to inquire
Intake & Assessment with Treatment Plan: $306.00
Individual Skills Training Session: $100.00 per 60 minute session
Group Skills Training: $150.00 per 90 minute session
Parent/Family Coaching: $173.00 per 55 minute session
Individual Mental Health Counseling: $173.00 per 55 minute session
OT- Coming Soon!
Shameka Seals-Adjei, Billing Manager
EMAIL: outdoortherapies@gmail.com
PHONE: 503-888-9766
BILLING: 503-388-5135
FAX: 469-482-2041
Outdoor Integrative Therapies
12150 SW Westfall Road
Sherwood, Oregon 97140