Nature-Assisted EMDR
Learn how nature can support preparation, regulation, resourcing, and clinical consultation alongside EMDR, with careful attention to pacing, safety, and client fit.
View intensive detailsNature-assisted practice
Bring the healing power of nature into your practice
Explore thoughtful ways to integrate the natural world into trauma-informed care, whether you are drawn to EMDR, play therapy, or walk-and-talk work.
Nature-Assisted EMDR Retreat
Come reset in the forest.
The Nature-Assisted EMDR Retreat is both professional training and personal retreat: an immersive, three-day experiential learning experience that also gives you space to restore yourself, supported by the trees, the trail, and a community of fellow practitioners.
View retreat detailsAbout Happy Camper Institute
For six years, the Apollos Center for Training and Supervision (ACTS) has offered training and consultation to clinicians under the leadership of Elizabeth Pennington, practice owner of Happy Camper Therapy. Now we are bringing that work together under one clearer, more consistent home. Building on the pioneering approach of Happy Camper Therapy, the Institute exists to multiply the impact of nature-assisted therapy for individuals and groups.
Meet Elizabeth Pennington
Elizabeth Pennington, LPC-S, RPT-S, APT Approved Provider, EMDRIA Approved Trainer, EMDR Consultant, and Certified Forest Therapy Guide
Over 13 years, Elizabeth devoted herself to advanced learning and clinical practice, focusing on complex PTSD, attachment healing, and dissociative disorders, with a special interest in medical trauma and spiritual abuse recovery. She has had the privilege of studying under Marshall Lyles, Ana Gomez, Jack Flynn, Momma Owls, Lilliana Gill, and Anne and Annie of Playful EMDR.
Her leadership extends well beyond the therapy room. Elizabeth has served on the Board of the Texas branch of the Association for Play Therapy and has been a training provider for APT conferences in Colorado and Texas. She has also served as a consultant for the Playful EMDR Summit. Closer to home, she provides training for group practices, schools, educators, and school counselors, as well as for the A Time for Play training series.
Her approach to supervision and training is person-centered. Elizabeth sees herself as a resourced traveling companion rather than an authority at the front of the room. So much wisdom has been poured into her over the years, and she feels called to offer it back as a gift to the collective. She is an especially good fit for pioneers with inspired ideas: clinicians who are developing new protocols and exploring a way of practicing that aligns with their own human design.
Training and consultation through the Institute can also provide needed credit toward Association for Play Therapy and EMDRIA credentials.
Nature-Assisted Play Therapy
Discover ways outdoor spaces, sensory experiences, and play can support attachment, expression, and regulation in developmentally responsive work.
Nature-Assisted Walk and Talk
Consider walk-and-talk work with thoughtful planning for privacy, accessibility, weather, boundaries, and the needs of each client.
A grounded way to begin
Every outdoor setting brings its own possibilities and responsibilities. We can talk through your goals, the needs of your clients, access and privacy considerations, and whether a nature-assisted format is the right fit.
Talk with Elizabeth