Doody's Review Service

Reviewer:	Kasey Stepansky, CScD, OTR/L, C/NDT, CBIS (Duquesne University)

Description
This book challenges allied health professionals to be intentional about choosing a nature-based context to reap the benefits an outside environment can provide. Through evidence and case stories across the lifespan, this text weaves a story of simple steps practitioners can take to use nature to affect the mind and body of their clients. The book begins by examining ethical decision making as a necessary first step to use nature as a context for healing. In the following chapters it explores the evidence with lifespan case examples of how nature can be used as a context, means, or end goal to therapeutic intervention. The book ends with tools evaluating nature-based intervention and programming, and program readiness guides to help practitioners plan and develop a nature-based program of their own.

Purpose
This book amplifies the long-held wisdom that nature can influence health. The book meets its objectives of providing practical strategies for modern practitioners to consider changing their daily habits and routines and take their practices outside. With our current societal demands of access to technology, this book reminds us of the need to be present with the natural world for physical and mental health. This book is a necessary challenge to modern practitioners.

Audience
The audience of this book is practitioners and students. For practitioners, it gives practical examples of treatments that can easily be transformed and elevated using natural means and contexts. For students, it amplifies emerging practice areas, and provides case examples that illustrate the work currently happening in practice to take it outside. For both practitioners and students, it provides helpful guidance to program development and emphasizes the need to track outcomes when developing new programming. Both authors are credible authorities on the subject, with one author holding multiple environmental modification certifications and owning her own therapeutic design consulting organization. The other author completed her doctoral capstone on nature-based intervention as well as developed curricula for nature-based education programs. In addition, the authors highlight over 20 contributing authors who have created or are currently running nature-based programming to provide case examples throughout the lifespan.

Features
There are multiple highlights to this book including the clear outline of the book, engaging mix of evidence with descriptive cases, and layout of the chapters following the lifespan of clients. Highlights include the multiple "nuggets of nature" sections highlighted in each age frame chapter that provide therapeutic activity materials, steps, and grades up and down for clients. Each age population chapter has consistent structure starting with an introduction to the population's strengths and needs, outlining the specific therapeutic benefits of nature for that age, and providing supportive evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of nature to address the specific needs of that age group. Areas that this book could cover more fully include the Eastern influence of nature-based care. Much of the evidence is Western, and the history of nature-based care is illustrated through primarily a Western European lens. It would be beneficial to highlight the history of using nature for health within Eastern cultures including the use of healing gardens, Chinese public hospitals, and forest bathing. This history is certainly ripe with wisdom and historical relevance of the healing power of nature. While this book highlights and provides checklists for program development, a deeper dive into entrepreneurship, funding, and starting a nature-based business would benefit the practitioner and student audience. One drawback of the book is the illustrations and pictures of nature engagement. All the pictures are black and white and are often small which makes it difficult to see clearly the richness of the natural environment. Part of the healing power of nature is the beauty and refuge of nature spaces providing richness in color and species. The pictures limit the splendor that can be experienced when practices are outside in blue, green, or desert rose environments.

Assessment
This book leads the way in creating an evidence-based guide to returning health to its roots and bringing practice outside. Overall, this book is a necessary challenge to modern practices providing practical and easy to use strategies to develop nature-based intervention. There are no books to compete with the completeness of this text in illustrating the value of nature in therapeutic interventions across the lifespan. There are minimal areas for growth in a future edition and as a first of its kind, it is an incredibly valuable evidence-based text and toolkit for modern practitioners and students.