The Medical Backyard: Healing Trauma in California’s Outdoors
“Peter is an amazing leader in the field of Nature and Health who has done much of the foundational work that we all base what we do on.”
Overview
ACE’s Aware is a major California campaign launched by the state’s first Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. Its goal is to educate physicians and other providers in the system of care about the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and train them to screen the majority of pediatric patients for ACEs. This initiative was funded in the first round of ACEs Aware grants.
Challenge
We aimed to conduct research to better understand how nature-based programs can play a role in the clinical response to early childhood trauma. Our goal was also to educate, inspire, and reduce barriers for physicians, empowering them to refer patients to parks and nature experiences as part of holistic strategies to improve health outcomes.
Solutions
Dr. Razani enlisted Peter Mayfield as a contracted collaborator in this project. Peter and his colleagues developed the first comprehensive database of all programs in California that offer guided walks and outings for youth and families. This database made it possible to survey these organizations to determine which were already prepared to accept referrals from physicians and which were interested in building that capacity. Dr. Razani organized a webinar that was offered on a statewide platform, featuring the work of a few programs which were strong in utilizing nature as a behavioral health support.
Results / Outcome
The survey yielded valuable insights that informed the paper of practice. The accompanying webinar was highly successful, drawing strong attendance and receiving very positive feedback. Peter Mayfield’s program, Whole Hearts, Minds & Bodies – Nature-Based Therapeutic Mentoring, was featured as a cornerstone example, showcasing its system, methods, and outcome data.
Notably, influenced by the work of several researchers and practitioners—including Dr. Nooshin Razani—“Access to Nature” was added as one of the seven spokes of the Stress Busters Wheel featured in the California Surgeon General’s report, Roadmap to Resilience.