Helping children build confidence, independence, and everyday life skills through personalized occupational therapy in the great outdoors.
For families throughout Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, finding the right support for a child’s developmental needs can be an important part of helping them thrive. Heart of Nature Occupational Therapy is bringing a personalized, nature-based approach to pediatric occupational therapy to families in the region, offering children opportunities to build essential life skills through movement, exploration, and meaningful experiences outdoors.
Based in Basalt and serving families in the Aspen area, Heart of Nature OT combines professional occupational therapy with the natural environment to help children develop the skills they need to participate more confidently at home, at school, and in their communities.
Meeting the Needs of Children and Families
Every child develops differently. Some children struggle with emotional regulation, sensory processing, or transitions, while others need support with handwriting, coordination, attention, or everyday routines. These challenges can affect a child’s confidence, independence, and ability to participate in activities that matter to them.
Pediatric occupational therapy helps children develop practical skills to navigate these everyday experiences. At Heart of Nature OT, care is personalized to each child’s strengths, needs, and goals, with an emphasis on building abilities that carry over into daily life.
Services include:
- Executive functioning support: Helping children develop planning, organization, working memory, flexible thinking, and task-completion skills.
- Emotional regulation: Building strategies to recognize emotions, manage frustration, and navigate everyday challenges.
- Sensory processing support: Helping children better understand and respond to sensory information to support comfort, attention, and participation.
- Fine motor and handwriting skills: Developing hand strength, coordination, dexterity, letter formation, and classroom skills.
- Visual-motor and motor coordination: Supporting eye-hand coordination, balance, body awareness, and postural control.
- Daily living skills: Encouraging greater independence with dressing, grooming, and everyday routines.
- Feeding and food exploration: Supporting positive mealtime experiences and helping children become more comfortable exploring different foods and textures.
In addition to individual occupational therapy sessions, Heart of Nature OT offers comprehensive evaluations, parent coaching, virtual parent meetings, individualized home programs, school-based therapy and classroom consultation, and collaboration with teachers and other care providers.
Why Take Occupational Therapy Outdoors?
Nature provides children with opportunities to move, explore, problem-solve, and interact with their surroundings in ways that can complement traditional therapy settings. Trails, natural textures, changing terrain, and open spaces offer opportunities to practice coordination, flexible thinking, sensory awareness, and self-regulation through meaningful activities.
For children who find traditional indoor environments challenging, an outdoor setting may offer a different way to engage with therapy. Activities can be adapted to each child’s needs and goals, allowing them to practice new skills while building confidence and discovering what they can do.
Heart of Nature OT’s nature-based approach is designed to make therapy engaging and functional. Rather than focusing solely on isolated exercises, sessions can connect skill development with the everyday experiences children encounter through play, exploration, and participation in their environment.
Meet Marissa Meinema, MS, CBIS, OTR/L
Heart of Nature Occupational Therapy is owned and operated by Marissa Meinema, a pediatric occupational therapist with a master’s degree in occupational therapy and a background in supporting children’s physical, sensory, emotional, and cognitive development. Marissa earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Michigan University and is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS). Her specialized training includes sensory integration, primitive reflexes, executive functioning, and head injury rehabilitation. As a mother who enjoys hiking, biking, and exploring nature with her family, Marissa brings her professional experience and appreciation for the outdoors together in a personalized approach to helping children grow and thrive.
Supporting the Next Generation of the Roaring Fork Valley
Children deserve opportunities to develop their abilities in environments where they feel engaged, supported, and encouraged. By combining individualized occupational therapy with the possibilities of outdoor exploration, Heart of Nature OT offers families another way to support their children’s development and everyday independence.
Whether a child needs help with sensory challenges, emotional regulation, motor skills, school participation, or daily routines, the first step is understanding that child’s unique needs and finding strategies that work for the whole family.
Looking for pediatric occupational therapy in Basalt or the Aspen area?
Heart of Nature Occupational Therapy welcomes families who want to learn more about nature-based pediatric care and how individualized therapy may support their child.
Call 517-404-0204, email admin@heartofnatureot.com, or visit heartofnatureot.com to learn more about services and get in touch with Marissa.
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