Program Overview

As a pilot program, new parents and their infants are invited to join two experienced health and mental health professionals with extensive experience in providing nature and play-based programming in a safe and inclusive natural environment. 

For six weeks, we will gather, rain or shine, in a space of collective care with peers and their young infants while being in nature with support. 

Program Information

  • Time

    6 weeks

    Monday mornings

    10am - 12pm

  • Dates

    6 sessions:

    Oct 7, 21, 28, Nov 4, 18, 25

    *No sessions on Oct 14 or Nov 11 due to statutory holidays

  • Location

    Ottawa Forest and Nature School, Wesley Clover Park Campgrounds

    411 Corkstown Rd.

  • Cost

    $55/session per adult

HOW TO REGISTER

Click on the registration form button below, and payment will be at the end. If you are registering for more than one adult, please complete two forms. 

FILL OUT FORM

If you have questions before registering, please book a short intake call here.

What You Can Expect From This Group

Our pilot Outdoor Play Postpartum Support Group will be six weeks in duration and 2 hours in length. Each week is planned with a loose structure around a topic related to postpartum transitions.

Our topics flow in an unstructured way through facilitated dialogue, grounding ourselves in nature, fire building and storytelling, hiking, using art and experience to process areas we are feeling stuck, etc.

The role of our facilitators is to hold space for feelings, facilitate rich nature and play experiences, and facilitate meaningful conversations on postpartum transitions, challenges, and ways to move into the parenting role with more ease and joy.

Objectives

  • Leverage therapeutic benefits of time spent in nature to support participant resilience, maternal/primary caregiver mental health, and infant & early mental health (IEMH).
  • Introduce concepts related to unstructured outdoor play as a dual supportive mechanism for parental mental health and healthy childhood development
  • Aid new parents/primary caregivers to overcome barriers to accessing nature with their infants. 
  • Provide a supportive environment for peer engagement and interaction in the context of nature-based, experiential/sensory, participant-responsive programming. 
  • Position joy and presence as valid tools in the parenting toolbox