Restoring the transformative occupation of outdoor play with TimberNook

When I read Angela Hanscom’s book, Balanced and Barefoot (2016) 2 years after I had completed my undergraduate degree, I realized it was time to apply for a graduate program in occupational therapy (OT). I had considered pursuing an OT career after witnessing the benefits it provided my younger sister, but my love and appreciation for my outdoor hobbies and experiences made me hesitant to move forward with a therapeutic profession. I sought a career that allowed me to share the inherent healing and developmental opportunities of challenging outdoor spaces with others, and I was not convinced OT was that field. Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist herself, changed my mind.