Therapy for children — on the farm
Ages 6–12 | In-person on the farm near Newburgh, Ontario
If you're a parent reading this, you probably already know something is off.
Maybe your child is struggling with big emotions that feel impossible to manage. Maybe they're anxious, withdrawn, reactive, or carrying something you can't quite reach.
Maybe you've tried talking to them and hit a wall. Children often can't tell you what's wrong. But they show you — through their behaviour, their bodies, and what happens when they feel safe enough to just be themselves.
That's what the farm is for.
What sessions actually look like
Child therapy at Wandering Willow doesn't look like sitting in a room answering questions.
It looks like moving around the farm, meeting the animals, talking about what's happening in their life while doing something real alongside it. It looks like attempting to lead Cinnamon — our very opinionated cow — and noticing what comes up when something doesn't go the way you expected. It looks like big feelings are getting named in the middle of something that has nothing to do with feelings.
Children don't always have language for what they're experiencing. They don't need to. The farm gives them something to do while the therapeutic work happens, and often the most important moments come sideways, in the middle of something else entirely.
Sessions are 50 minutes. In-person on the farm near Newburgh, Ontario. Parents are welcome to be on site and involved in sessions or to wait nearby — we figure out what works best for your child and your family together.
What this works well for
Children who do well with farm and nature-based therapy tend to be kids who:
✓ Have big emotions that feel overwhelming or hard to manage
✓ Struggle to talk about what they're feeling but respond well to doing things
✓ Feel different, misunderstood, or like they don't quite fit
✓ Are anxious — about school, social situations, change, or things they can't name
✓ Have been diagnosed with ADHD, autism, or other neurodevelopmental differences
✓ Have experienced something difficult and need a space to process it at their own pace
✓ Haven't connected with traditional office-based therapy
The farm setting is particularly well suited to children who struggle in structured indoor environments. There's no expectation to sit still, maintain eye contact, or pretend to be okay. The animals don't care about any of that and neither do I.
Who I am and why this works
✓ In-person sessions on the farm near Newburgh, Ontario
✓ Ages 6–12
✓ $180 per session
✓ Insurance receipts provided for most extended health plans
✓ Direct billing available for Green Shield Canada other insureances accepted though not direct billed
I'm Cait — a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and Registered Practical Nurse.
I grew up in a home full of foster children and have been working with kids in some capacity since I was twelve years old. I spent years in disability services supporting children with complex needs before going into nursing and then psychotherapy. I have over 20 years of experience with children across a wide range of presentations — including significant experience with autism, ADHD, FAS, and complex trauma.
Children have always found their way to me. I'm not easily rattled by big behaviour, I don't need things to look a certain way, and I have a lot of patience for the kind of kid who has already been told they're too much somewhere else.
My approach is grounded in ACT in Nature and nature-based therapeutic practices — using the farm environment, the animals, and the land as active parts of the therapeutic process rather than just a backdrop.
As a nurse I also understand how stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm show up in children's bodies — not just their behaviour. That dual lens changes what I look for and how we work.
Why nature and farm-based therapy work differently for neurodivergent kids
A significant amount of the therapy that autistic and ADHD kids receive has historically been about fitting into a box — learning to suppress stimming, sit still, make eye contact, and behave in ways that meet neurotypical expectations.
Nature therapy is the opposite of that.
On the farm, there is no box. A child who needs to move can move. A child who wants to chase a butterfly can chase it. A child who is stimming is not asked to stop because the farm doesn't have a behavioural expectation of stillness and compliance. It has goats and grass and things that are genuinely interesting.
This matters clinically. Children who spend their days being corrected and contained often arrive at therapy braced for more of the same. The farm removes that expectation entirely. The therapeutic work can happen because the child is actually free to be themselves.
For children with ADHD specifically, the research is detailed: time in natural environments measurably improves attention, reduces impulsivity, and supports emotional regulation in ways that indoor settings don't replicate. A 2004 study by Kuo and Taylor found that children with ADHD showed significantly better concentration after activities in natural settings compared to indoor or urban environments. This effect has been replicated across multiple studies and is now referred to as Attention Restoration Theory in the research literature.
Movement is also central to how many ADHD brains actually function. A session that allows a child to walk, run, engage physically with animals, and shift their attention naturally is a fundamentally different experience from one that asks them to sit across a desk and talk.
For autistic children, the sensory environment of the farm — the textures, the sounds, the animals, the unpredictability of living things can be both regulating and genuinely engaging in ways that controlled indoor environments aren't. The relationship with animals, in particular, offers connection without the social complexity and performance demands that human interaction often carries.
None of this means the therapeutic work doesn't happen. It means it happens differently, sideways, in motion, in the middle of something else. Which is often exactly how neurodivergent kids access things best.
A Note for Parents
You don't have to have it figured out before you reach out.
Most parents who contact me know something is wrong but aren't sure what it is or what kind of support their child needs. That's completely normal and it's exactly what the first conversation is for.
Parents are welcome to be involved in sessions — either as active participants or present on the farm while their child works with me. We figure out what makes sense for your child's age, capacity, and what you're working on together.
If your child has a diagnosis, a history, or specific things I should know before we meet — share what feels relevant. You know your child. I'll do my best to meet them where they are.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.