Nature-Based Therapy in South Minneapolis

We offer individual, couple/partner and family therapy in nearby nature settings throughout South Minneapolis. We have a home office near Lake Nokomis that we share, but most sessions take place outdoors year-round in natural spaces near Lake Nokomis and Lake Hiawatha, Minnehaha Creek and Falls, Powderhorn Park, and the Mississippi River. We avoid high traffic areas and opt instead for more private, natural spaces.  

🍂 Therapists will be available in specific locations on different days and times.  

🍂 As needed, we can work together to find a meeting location that is accessible by public transportation.  

🍂 Being out in all kinds of weather presents challenges and opportunities that will be part of the therapeutic work, but we will never go outside if the weather is too uncomfortable or unsafe. Or if you feel too uncomfortable or unsafe.  On those days we can meet over video. or in an indoor office if available.  

You are welcome to look through the individual therapists' bios and see who seems like they might be a good match for you. If you have a preferred therapist, please include their name when you complete the contact form. If you are open to working with whoever has availability, we will add you to our general practice waitlist. You will always get a chance to talk with the therapist before starting to see if it feels like a good fit.  

I love working outside with nature as a therapeutic partner.  I see the benefits to my clients (and to myself) every day. My style is relaxed, flexible and playful but also direct. I’ve been in the field for over 17 years and I never stop feeling deeply privileged to be able to walk alongside the people I work with, to hear their stories, their pain and deep hopes, to witness their courage and to be a part of their growth and healing.  

My specialty has been working with children 0-6 and their families using the Child-Parent Psychotherapy model, but I also enjoy working with individual adults. I welcome children into adult sessions as well, when needed or when helpful to the therapeutic process.  Issues we can address include: emotional and behavioral regulation difficulties, attachment, anxiety, depression, grief and loss and trauma.  

Services can be provided in Spanish as well as English.  

kari@naturebased.care

612-562-1252

Hi, my name is Annie (she/her) and I recently completed my clinical internship at Minneapolis Nature-Based Therapy (part of the Multi-Cultural Clinical Practice (MCCP) Masters of Social Work program at Augsburg University) and joined the practice full time.  I work with clients of all ages and am under the direct supervision of Kari Kleven.  I am passionate about nature’s ability to provide us tools and resources to enhance our health and wellbeing. I have years of experience working with individuals, groups, and families of various backgrounds to make the outdoors more approachable. I recently worked with Three Rivers Park District and Scott County to develop and facilitate free wellness programming in the parks. Whether spending time engaging with nature is new to you, or you already consider yourself an outdoor enthusiast, I will meet you where you are on your journey. 

I strive to create a safe, welcoming space where you feel free to be yourself, without fear of judgement. I recognize that you are the expert in your life, and therefore embrace a client-centered approach, creating a space where we work together on the goals that are important to you. At the end of each session, I would hope you leave our time together feeling heard, accepted, and supported. I firmly believe that we all have individual strengths and abilities and therefore use a strengths-based, empowerment approach to help build confidence and trust in your own unique skills. It would be an honor to work with you, be trusted with your story, and come along this therapeutic journey with you. 

annie@naturebased.care

612-504-9139

I’ve been working indoors and outdoors with nature as a teacher and co-therapist since I was in grad school in 2006 and completed a certification in Ecotherapy through the Earthbody Institute in 2024. I have a variety of experience working with children and adolescents, adults, families and couples in schools, outpatient clinics, wilderness therapy, and residential treatment. I have a deep love for working holistically with clients and include awareness of our nervous systems, intrapersonal relationships, interpersonal relationships, and relationships with the wider world/culture and the natural world in the work I do. 

My work is trauma-informed and experiential and often includes a somatic component. I’ve been training in Dance/Movement Therapy since 2019 and offer limited movement-focused sessions in a studio space once per week.

I tend to be a good therapeutic fit for adult clients who have experienced trauma and are looking for a less verbal-focused form of therapy, creatives, activists who need more balance in their lives, people experiencing life transitions, parents of children with significant medical needs, couples looking to reconnect, and adult women seeking to unlearn past conditioning. I also very much enjoy working with adults and their aging parents to shift past/present relational patterns.

You can find me on hikes around town with my two kids (likely with some complaining), swimming in the lakes, XC skiing or awkwardly dancing to live music. 

becky@naturebased.care 

‭(612) 351-0427‬

Hello! My name is Arielle, I also go by AJ, and I am a clinical social worker with an MSW from the University of MN. I'm so glad you're here!

My approach to therapy is rooted in intersectional feminism, racial equity, and queer and trans liberation. As a bi/pan, gender-expansive clinician, I am especially passionate about working with folks from our LGBTQIA2S+ community. I bring a humanistic, sex-positive, strengths-based lens to this work.

I love incorporating nature, mindfulness, and somatic exercises into the healing process. My areas of focus include exploring identity and vocation, processing religious trauma, navigating relational challenges, supporting folks through transition, and holding space for adult children of emotionally unavailable/immature parents. My practice is informed by attachment theory, EMDR, AEDP, and Anchored Relational Therapy.

I seek to provide safe, affirming care through active listening, warm encouragement, and a person-centered approach. My clients know me as an uplifting, enthusiastic believer in their inherent worth and ability to grow.

I look forward to meeting you and cultivating a therapeutic alliance with empathy and an open mind!

aj@naturebased.care 

Hi, my name is Wensday. I am a nature-based therapist excited to work with kids, teens, and adults. I recently got EMDR trained, and am currently accepting clients looking to do nature-based EMDR work. I’m especially energized by working with trans and queer people and their families, as well as working to support those parenting trans and queer kids.

My practice integrates talk-based therapy and body-based interventions in the natural environment, allowing us to tend to our relationships with the land, ourselves, and people who are important to us. We work with nature as a partner and a resource in our healing journey. This can look like sitting under a tree, smashing ice, chatting with our feet in the creek.

I combine a trauma-informed, strengths-based, racial equity and disability justice-informed approach with elements of play and movement/embodiment practice. I offer a playful, direct, and relaxed space. We will co-create this in a way that feels authentic and supportive to your process. 

I am often in Minneapolis, meeting with clients on sacred ancestral land stolen from the Dakota people, at Minnehaha Creek, and I am also open to meeting in other spots.

wensday@naturebased.care. 

*I am able to accept most major insurance plans other than Medica/Optum/UBH/UHC/UMR 

Hi, my name is Katie and I completed my master's in mental health and substance use counseling at the University of Minnesota. I am currently working toward independent licensure under the direct clinical supervision of Kari Kleven. I see clients of all ages and identities and am particularly excited to work with couples/partners, neurodiverse clients, and clients interested in exploring their relationship with alcohol and/or other drugs.

My approach to therapy integrates foundational tenets of Narrative Therapy, Ambiguous Loss Theory, Attachment Theory, Existential Therapy, and a variety of trauma-informed methods for healing. The experiences and insights I've gained through years working in disability advocacy help me bring an empowering, non-pathologizing, creative approach to therapy. I support clients to heal from painful experiences, explore the systems and patterns impacting their internal and relational lives, face some of life’s biggest questions, and create their own unique story and sense of purpose. I strive to develop deep, transparent, human-to-human connections with my clients based on mutual empathy, shared exploration of context, and co-creation of meaning. 

During graduate school, I developed a special interest in Ambiguous Loss Theory, which explores the impact of losses that lack certainty and clarity, such as a loved one with dementia or a traumatic brain injury, or one who has gone missing in a natural disaster. Central to ambiguous loss is the difficult paradox of here and also missing, present and at the same time gone. I believe nature-based therapy is the ideal setting for healing and making meaning through this unique form of loss. I hope my clients experience me as genuine, curious, creative, and – above all else – hopeful and empowering. 

katie@naturebased.care

*I am able to accept most major insurance plans other than Medica/Optum/UBH/UHC/UMR 

Hello! My name is Jenn Slesinski, and I am currently completing my post-master’s certificate in clinical mental health counseling at the Adler Graduate School. I am working as a clinical intern under the direct supervision of Becky Krenz. 

After earning my MS in Counseling in 2015, I spent the last decade working in higher education and human resources. Supporting people through career growth, life transitions, and personal development deeply strengthened my belief that everyone deserves a dedicated space of safety, encouragement, and support. Today, I am excited to bring that experience to my clinical work, partnering with clients of all ages who are navigating anxiety, stress, life transitions, trauma, and women's mental health concerns.

I believe that therapy is a true partnership, and everyone deserves a space where they can show up exactly as they are without fear of judgment. My goal is to create a warm, supportive environment where we can gently explore how past experiences, relationships, and life circumstances impact the challenges you are facing today. I am also incredibly passionate about the grounding and healing power of the natural world, and I look forward to incorporating the environment around us into our therapeutic process.

Above all, my hope is that you leave our sessions feeling deeply heard, empowered, and better equipped to navigate life's challenges with confidence and self-compassion.

jenn@naturebased.care

*I am able to accept most major insurance plans other than Medica/Optum/UBH/UHC/UMR