Wild Roots Nature Therapy

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Executive Summary

Wild Roots Nature Therapy is a nonprofit in Oregon that uses outdoor environments as the setting for therapeutic programming for veterans with PTSD, youth with behavioral and emotional challenges and adults in addiction recovery who do not respond well to traditional office-based mental health services. A licensed clinical social worker and a veteran wilderness guide co-lead outdoor groups in Portland-area nature parks. A licensed therapist also provides ecotherapy certificate training for Oregon therapists twice a year.

Nature-based approaches to mental health have a growing body of peer-reviewed support. Time outdoors reduces physiological stress markers, and co-facilitated outdoor groups provide the peer connection that many veterans and young people who distrust clinical settings will not access in an office. We do not provide clinical diagnoses or prescribe medication. All therapeutic work is done within the scope of our licensed staff's credentials. We call 988 for anyone in crisis and 911 in an emergency.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $228,000. We are asking for $58,000 from a behavioral health fund for the nature therapist's salary and outdoor site costs. The rest comes from other grants and program revenue listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate.

Company Description

Wild Roots Nature Therapy is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes a Portland VA physician, a recovery community organization director and two veteran community members. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. Some people will never go to a therapy office but will show up for a hike. If we meet them where they are, we can provide the support they need.

What we do:
- Veterans in the Wild. Eight-week outdoor group of 6 to 8 veterans with PTSD. Weekly four-hour session: a hike or wilderness skills activity followed by a therapist-facilitated processing circle. Co-led by the LCSW and the veteran wilderness guide. Four cohorts per year.
- Youth in Nature. Weekly two-hour nature-based group therapy at a Portland nature center for youth ages 10 to 17 with behavioral and emotional challenges. Groups of 6 to 8.
- Recovery in Nature. Weekly 90-minute forest walk with mindfulness instruction for adults in addiction recovery. Groups of 8 to 10.
- Individual ecotherapy. One-on-one nature walk sessions with therapeutic conversation at a sliding scale of $0 to $50.
- Ecotherapy certificate training. A three-day training for licensed therapists offered twice a year. Tuition is $450 per person. Oregon licensing board CEU credit applied for.

What we do not do. We do not diagnose, prescribe or provide inpatient services. Individual sessions are within the scope of the LCSW's license. We do not guarantee any clinical outcome. We call 988 for anyone in crisis.

Who we serve. Veterans with PTSD referred by the Portland VA, youth with behavioral challenges referred by community mental health centers, adults in addiction recovery referred by a recovery community organization, and Oregon licensed therapists seeking ecotherapy training.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Many people with the greatest mental health need will not enter a clinical office.

1. Veterans. Many Portland veterans with PTSD do not engage with VA mental health services, according to Portland VA data. Many have institutional distrust or find group therapy in a clinical setting to be retraumatizing.
2. Youth. Young people who have experienced trauma frequently disengage from office-based therapy. Dropout rates in community mental health centers for adolescents exceed 50% after the first three sessions.
3. Recovery. Adults in early recovery often benefit from structure and peer connection that can be provided in a nature context without clinical barriers.
4. Therapist training gap. Ecotherapy is supported by peer-reviewed research but there is no local training available in Oregon. Therapists who want to use nature-based approaches must travel out of state or attend expensive national conferences.

Why it matters now. Oregon faces a high level of mental health need and a serious shortage of providers. The Oregon Health Authority has identified nature-based health as a priority in its current behavioral health transformation plan.

How we know the need is real. We interviewed the Portland VA mental health team, reviewed adolescent therapy dropout data at two community mental health centers, surveyed 30 veterans and talked with a recovery community organization. In a ten-veteran pilot, PCL-5 PTSD symptom scores dropped by an average of 14 points after eight weeks, which is a clinically significant threshold. The full data is in the appendix.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay the nature therapist's salary and outdoor program site costs for a full year.

How a participant takes part:
1. Referral. Portland VA refers veterans. Community mental health centers refer youth. A recovery community organization refers adults in recovery. Walk-in and self-referrals accepted for individual ecotherapy.
2. Intake. The LCSW conducts a brief intake by phone or in person. Participants are placed in the group that matches their situation.
3. Group program. Veterans: eight-week cohort, one session per week. Youth and recovery: ongoing weekly groups.
4. Individual ecotherapy. Scheduled as needed alongside or independently of group.
5. Clinical coordination. The LCSW shares relevant information with referring providers with written consent.
6. Therapist training. A licensed therapist registers for the three-day certificate training. Sessions held twice a year at an outdoor venue.

What the grant pays for. This request covers the nature therapist's salary and outdoor site permit and facility costs.

What we do not promise. We do not promise symptom reduction in any individual. We track PHQ-9 and PCL-5 scores at intake and 90 days, group attendance and participant satisfaction, and we report those numbers honestly.

Safety. The LCSW carries malpractice insurance and follows Oregon licensing board requirements. We call 911 for any field emergency. We have a written field safety protocol. We refer anyone in suicidal crisis to 988 and to an emergency provider.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are veterans, youth, adults in recovery and Oregon licensed therapists seeking nature-based training.

Who we serve. Veterans with PTSD who are not engaging with VA mental health; youth ages 10 to 17 with behavioral and emotional challenges; adults in addiction recovery in the first year of sobriety; and licensed therapists seeking ecotherapy training.

How many we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to run four Veterans in the Wild cohorts (about 32 veterans total), enroll about 50 youth in the ongoing Youth in Nature group, serve about 40 adults in Recovery in Nature and train 20 therapists. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 250 program participants annually and train 40 therapists per year.

Where we serve. Tualatin Hills Nature Park, Powell Butte Nature Park, a partner equestrian facility in Clackamas County and outdoor venues for the therapist training.

Who else benefits. The Portland VA and community mental health centers, which need alternatives for people they are not reaching. Oregon therapists who add ecotherapy to their practice expand community capacity.

We choose how many cohorts to run from the LCSW's availability and the nature therapist's caseload, not from the size of the need.

Competitive Landscape

Other resources in the Portland area.

1. Portland VA Mental Health Clinic. Provides traditional therapy for veterans. We are a complement for the 60% who do not engage, not a competitor.
2. Community mental health centers. Provide traditional outpatient therapy. We are a referral partner for clients who drop out or who need a different entry point.
3. National ecotherapy organizations. Provide training nationally but not locally. We fill that gap for Oregon.
4. One equine-assisted therapy program in Clackamas County. Focused on children; does not serve veterans or adults in recovery.

What makes us different. We are the only organization providing outdoor-based therapeutic groups specifically for veterans and adults in recovery in the Portland area, and we are the only local ecotherapy training provider. We work with VA and mental health centers as a complement, not a competitor.

How we avoid duplication. We meet quarterly with the Portland VA mental health team and two community mental health centers to coordinate referrals.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach participants once the project is funded.

VA referrals. A formal referral agreement with the Portland VA mental health team is the primary channel for veteran participants.

Recovery community organization. A referral agreement with a Portland RCO connects adults in early recovery to the Recovery in Nature track.

Community mental health centers. Two centers refer youth who have dropped out of office-based therapy.

Therapist training marketing. Oregon Counseling Association and NASW Oregon chapter announcements, continuing education calendar listings and word of mouth among licensed therapists.

Oregon Health Authority. OHA's behavioral health network newsletter promotes programs aligned with their nature-based health priority.

Wild Roots benefit event. An annual outdoor benefit walk raises individual donor support.

Measuring outreach. We track how each participant heard about the program and adjust if a referral channel stops working.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1. Month 1: confirm outdoor site access permits, finalize referral agreements, confirm therapist training venue. Months 2 to 12: run four Veterans in the Wild cohorts on a quarterly schedule, maintain weekly Youth in Nature and Recovery in Nature groups year-round, deliver two ecotherapy trainings.

Outdoor sites. Tualatin Hills Nature Park and Powell Butte permit access confirmed annually. The equestrian facility in Clackamas County has a written access agreement.

Partners. Portland VA mental health team, a recovery community organization, two community mental health centers, a Portland nature center for youth programming and Oregon Health Authority. Each has a written agreement.

Money controls. Therapist training tuition is tracked separately from grant revenue. Two people approve every expense over $500.

Records and reporting. We track PHQ-9 and PCL-5 scores at intake and 90 days, group attendance, training completions and participant satisfaction. We report to funders twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director manages the organization and provides clinical oversight as the LCSW. The nature therapist provides co-facilitation for all groups and individual ecotherapy. The veteran wilderness guide co-leads Veterans in the Wild.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5. A number with a half, such as 2.5, means a hire phased in during the year or one part-time person.
- Executive Director and LCSW: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $72,000 a year.
- Nature Therapist (licensed therapist with ecotherapy certification): 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $58,000 a year each.
- Veteran Wilderness Guide (part-time): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $18,000 a year.
- Program Associate (added as the budget grows): 0, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $46,000 a year each, hired as new grant money arrives.

Governance and money controls. The board reviews financials monthly. An outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return. Every grant is tracked in its own budget line. Training tuition revenue is tracked separately.

Feedback and complaints. Participants can give feedback after any session through a brief written form. We report themes to the board quarterly. No participant loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts: confirm outdoor site permits, finalize referral agreements and confirm therapist training venue.
- Year 1: run four Veterans in the Wild cohorts, enroll about 50 youth in ongoing groups, serve about 40 adults in recovery, train 20 therapists. Budget about $228,000.
- Year 2: add equine-assisted component for one Veterans in the Wild cohort. Budget about $268,000.
- Year 3: apply to Oregon Health Plan for ecotherapy reimbursement pilot. Budget about $305,000.
- Year 4: hire a second nature therapist and add a fourth weekly group track. Budget about $348,000.
- Year 5: serve about 250 program participants annually and train 40 therapists per year. Budget about $388,000.

How we will measure results: PHQ-9 and PCL-5 scores at intake and 90 days, group attendance, program completion, therapist training completions and participant satisfaction. We report to funders twice a year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $58,000 from a behavioral health fund for the nature therapist's salary and outdoor site costs, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Nature Therapist salary, $58,000.
- Other: Outdoor site permits, equestrian facility access and program venue costs, $14,000 (paid from other grant funds).

Other money in the program. This request is about 29% of Year 1 grant income. Other grants and therapist training tuition pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $228,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $5,200 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $200,000; Therapist Training Tuition and Program Fees $28,000. Year 1 costs: executive director and lcsw $72,000; nature therapist (licensed therapist with ecotherapy certification) $58,000; veteran wilderness guide (part-time) $18,000; outdoor site permits and facility costs $14,000; program supplies (hiking equipment, nature kits, campfire materials) $10,000; therapist training materials and venue $8,000; clinical outcome assessment tools and data management $5,000; wild Roots benefit event $8,000; office and reporting $12,000; program supplies, participant support and contingency $16,500.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $12,400 are paid once from startup funds: $3,600 for clinical outcome assessment software and encrypted participant records, $2,800 for outdoor equipment including first aid kit, emergency communication devices and group gear, $2,200 for legal setup and clinical supervision policy review, $2,000 for therapist training curriculum development and $1,800 for banners and a website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($12,400), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $2,600) and a cash cushion of about $55,400, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $70,500. We start with $18,000 of our own savings and $53,000 from SAMHSA behavioral health startup funds and board contributions, $71,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $228,000 in Year 1 to about $388,000 in Year 5. Grant revenue is planned at $200,000, $196,000, $222,000, $252,000 and $246,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans to end each year with a surplus, about $5,200, $12,500, $38,400, $10,900 and $13,900 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings. Some years are larger because new grant money arrives before the added staff are hired. The lowest year-end cash in the plan is about $62,000.

After the grant. OHP reimbursement in Year 3 reduces grant dependence as clinical services become partially billable. Training tuition provides sustained earned revenue.

Risks:
- Outdoor programming is weather-dependent. We plan alternative indoor spaces for each outdoor site and make weather decisions 24 hours in advance.
- Ecotherapy is not yet OHP-reimbursable. We budget conservatively on billing and do not assume reimbursement until it is approved.
- A clinical incident outdoors creates liability. We carry malpractice and general liability insurance, maintain a written field safety protocol and do a group safety briefing at every session.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- LCSW license and malpractice insurance.
- Nature therapist's license and ecotherapy training certificate.
- Veteran wilderness guide's NOLS certification and peer support specialist certificate.
- Portland VA mental health team referral agreement.
- Recovery community organization referral agreement.
- Outdoor site access permits and equestrian facility agreement.
- Pilot data: 10 veterans, average PCL-5 reduction of 14 points at 8 weeks.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers:
- Grant Revenue: $200,000 in Year 1, planned to reach $246,000 in Year 5.
- Therapist Training Tuition: $450 per therapist for 20 therapists per year in Year 1, growing to 40 per year by Year 5.
- Nature Therapist: $58,000 per year including payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, an advanced clinical license in Oregon.
- PCL-5: PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, a standardized self-report measure of PTSD symptom severity.
- PHQ-9: Patient Health Questionnaire-9, a standardized nine-question screen for depression severity.
- OHP: Oregon Health Plan, Oregon's Medicaid program.
- Ecotherapy: a therapeutic approach that uses nature and outdoor settings as part of clinical or group work.
- CEU: Continuing Education Unit, credit toward a professional license renewal requirement.

Startup Costs