Practitioner Experiences Illustrate Benefits of HAI

Image of Green Chimneys Board Member and Honoree Michele Greenburg with a large horse in front of a red barn

Honoring Longtime Supporter and Volunteer Michele Greenburg

July 20, 2021

November 6, 2020

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created substantial challenges for both Green Chimneys and the University of Denver-based research team, the portfolio of research projects has proceeded with data that had been collected concurrently with content for the recently published “Documentation of Nature-Based Programs.” The result is several qualitative studies on the perceptions of Green Chimneys staff and practitioners in the integration and impact of nature-based activities on participating youth.

The first in this series of studies focused on describing the essence and nature of special education teachers’ lived experiences in incorporating nature-based interventions as a tool to improve youth social-emotional learning outcomes and promote positive youth development. “Human-Animal-Environment Interactions as a Context for Child and Adolescent Growth” indicates that almost universally, teaching staff perceive nature-based interventions to effect marked improvement in:

Prosocial behavior

Caregiving and nurturing

Connection to animals, plants and humans

Curiosity and excitement about learning

Recently published in “Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice” a second qualitative study asked farm staff to describe how they’ve seen youth be impacted by nature-based programs, particularly in shaping outcomes related to their development and well-being. Staff shared that youth interactions with plants, animals, and nature improved mood, strengthened relations, self-regulation, and self-conception.

The third study in the series, conducted with Green Chimneys clinicians, appears in “Journal of Child and Adolescent Social Work” and features clinical perspectives on how animal-assisted therapy impacts youth. View all articles published to date

Russian Tortoise

There’s a reason this Russian Tortoise looks so iconic; it’s one of the most popular breeds sold in pet stores. This gentleman arrived at the Green Chimneys Wildlife Center as a rescue and secured a regular role in the classroom, helping students study the differences between tortoises and turtles; tortoises dwell on land, while turtles live in the water some or nearly all of the time. He has a reputation for being very active and outgoing and on warm, sunny days, the students take him outside to search for dandelion leaves to eat.