Outdoor Animal-Facilitated Therapy Services - OATS

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Outdoor Animal-Facilitated Therapy Services - OATS

Occupational Therapy services facilitated by animals, in a rural environment, surrounded by nature.

25/10/2025

🌿 Outdoor Animal-Assisted Therapy Groups — Building Confidence & Connection in Nature, with Animals 🐴🐰

Designed for children or teenagers finding social situations difficult, or those struggling with anxiety, low confidence or feeling isolated from peers.

At OATS (Outdoor Animal-Assisted Therapy Service), we offer small, nurturing group sessions designed to help children and young people build social confidence, make positive connections, and boost wellbeing — all through the calming, regulating presence of animals and nature.

What makes our groups special:

🌱 Very small groups (maximum of 4) to support social anxiety and ensure individual needs are met.
🦙 Meaningful activities with animals — helping with feeding, care, observation and interaction.
🌳 Nature-filled outdoor environment designed to promote regulation and connection.
🤝 Focus on developing confidence, friendship and emotional resilience.
🌿 Run by a team of highly specialist therapists and mental health practitioners

Our groups run for ages:
🐾 7–12 years
🐾 12–16 years

Term-time week-days, in school hours for those with EBSA/school avoidance, Home-Ed families and those with alternative education needs. Limited after-school groups. Please contact us for availability.

Funding options:
💚 EHCP funding
💚 EOTAS funding
💚 School Funding
💚 NHS Funding
💚 Charity Funding
💚 Private funding (including home-educating families)

If your child would benefit from a calm, therapeutic space to grow confidence and belonging, we’d love to hear from you.

📩 Get in touch: www.oats-uk.org.uk | oats.enquiries@outlook.com
📍 Based in Billingshurst, West Sussex

🌿 “Helping children and young people reconnect — with nature, animals, and themselves.” 🐴

23/08/2025

🌿 Outdoor Animal-Assisted Therapy Services Autumn Term Availability - email to enquire🌿

At OATS, we believe every child deserves a safe space to feel calm, confident, and supported. Nestled in the West Sussex countryside, we combine the healing power of animals and nature with specialist therapy to help children and young people thrive. 🐴🐕🐓

We offer:
✨ Occupational Therapy
✨ Speech & Language Therapy
✨ Physiotherapy
✨ Therapeutic Alternative Provision

Whether your child needs support with confidence, anxiety, emotional regulation, school attendance, or simply a space to connect and grow, OATS provides gentle, personalised sessions in small groups or 1:1.

Our animals play a special role in helping children learn new skills, build resilience, and discover their own strengths – all while enjoying the peace of the outdoors. 🌳💚

📍 Based in Billingshurst, West Sussex
💬 Message us to find out more or to book a free 20-minute meet & greet visit.

OATS.JC@outlook.com

Let’s help your child take their next steps with confidence – together. 💛

www.oats-uk.org.uk

24/05/2025

We absolutely love our new pond! 🐟💧🌊⛲☘️🌿🌸🌺🪻🐸

Thank you to everyone who helped to dig it and put it together over the last week! It really was a joint effort between lots of OATS staff and the young people we work with! A special thank you to Aaron Thorneley our handyman/groundskeeper/all round superstar for his amazing efforts in this (and every) project!

We can't wait to see what wildlife decides to come and visit, and are really looking forward to lots of mindfulness moments sitting in this spot, watching the fish, listening to the water fountain and the birds! 😌🐦⛲

It's amazing what you can achieve in a couple of days with all hands on deck! 💕

08/05/2025

The boys' first day out today! I think they are loving it! They are so brave around me and Bertie now 🥰💕💕

04/05/2025

Hector and Hugo are coming on in leaps and bounds! It's amazing to see their confidence grow every day! Today we were teaching them (and Bertie) to feel confident around each other! 🥰🐐💕🐶

27/04/2025

We are beyond excited to introduce the newest members of our team at OATS, Hector and Hugo 💕🐐💕🐐💕🐐💕🐐💕🐐

Full of mischief and fun and very big personalities 🥰💕🥰💕🥰💕

23/04/2025

🌿🦄🐾We are excited to announce that we are now opening up our services to offer Speech and Language Therapy and Physio Therapy, as well as Occupational Therapy at OATS.🐾🦄🌿

OATS is a therapy service for young people who need a different approach to therapy. We work with animals and nature to create a safe space for our young people to achieve their goals.

We also run Alternative Provision sessions delivered by a range of our specialist therapists and therapy assistants, for children and young people who benefit from a therapeutic provision to support their academic curriculum.

Please email us or visit our website to find out more about our Therapy and Alternative Provision services.

oats.jc@outlook.com

🦄 www.oats-uk.org.uk 🦄

17/04/2025

We have a few spaces left on our Summer-Term weekly animal-assisted therapeutic alternative provision groups.

In these groups, we work with animals and nature to learn about:
- Self-regulation (emotional/sensory/physical)
- Fight/flight/freeze
- Resilience
- Self-acceptance, self-love and self-belief
- Anxiety management
- Positive social connections
- Self-advocacy and self-confidence

All of these skills are learned through fun animal care and nature-based activities.

Tailored programmes are designed and delivered by specialist therapists.

Group sizes kept to a maximum of 4 to ensure all needs can be met.

Sessions can be funded through EHCP or EOTAS packages, as well as privately. (You do not need to have an EHCP to attend).

Please email oats.jc@outlook.com for more information.

www.oats-uk.org.uk

09/03/2025

We only have a few spaces left on our Outdoor Animal-Facilitated Therapy Holiday Groups.

OATS therapeutic groups support children who:
• May be struggling with their mental health
• May feel socially isolated or anxious in group situations
• May have low self-esteem and self-confidence
• May find going to school difficult or have emotional-based school avoidance
• Want to learn strategies to support their self-regulation
• Want to develop coping strategies and resilience skills
• Want to experience mindfulness and a sense of peace in nature
• Enjoy spending time with animals in the beautiful countryside

🐾 🐾 🐾
𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬:
8th-11th April
Group 1 Ages 7 - 11: 9:30 - 12:00
Group 2 ages 12 - 16: 13:30 - 16:00
🐾 🐾 🐾
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬:
11th – 14th August
Group 1 Ages 7 - 11: 9:30 - 12:00
Group 2 ages 12 - 16: 13:30 - 16:00
🐾 🐾 🐾

Learn about fight/flight/freeze triggers and responses, reflect on our supports in life, build self-belief and learn how to accept and love ourselves. Bond with a group of peers who have similar experiences, who can understand our needs and accept and support each other. Learn about the animals to help us to learn about ourselves. Develop in confidence and learn some strategies to take away and apply in real-life settings.

Group sizes are very small, a maximum of 8 young-people, so that we can build confidence and ensure everyone has the support they need.

Delivered by experienced specialist therapists, designed to nurture mindfulness, reflection, self-love and self-growth.

Book in a free Meet and Greet visit for your young person by emailing oats.jc@outlook.com

www.oats-uk.org.uk

12/01/2025

📣𝗢𝗔𝗧𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀📣

OATS Holiday Clubs support children who:
• May be struggling with their mental health
• May feel socially isolated or anxious in group situations
• May have low self-esteem and self-confidence
• Want to learn strategies to support their self-regulation
• Want to experience mindfulness and a sense of peace in nature
• Enjoy spending time with animals in the beautiful countryside

🐾 🐾 🐾

𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦:
17th - 21st February
11:30-13:30
Ages 12 - 17
Build a trusting partnership with your pony throughout the week, whilst learning Natural Horsemanship skills, developing positive social connections with peers, exploring emotional regulation, and develop self-awareness and self-confidence.

🐾 🐾 🐾

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬:
8th-11th April
Group 1 Ages 7 - 11: 9:30 - 12:00
Group 2 ages 12 - 16: 13:30 - 16:00

🐾 🐾 🐾

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬:
11th – 14th August
Group 1 Ages 7 - 11: 9:30 - 12:00
Group 2 ages 12 - 16: 13:30 - 16:00

🐾 🐾 🐾

Group sizes are very small, a maximum of 8 young-people, so that we can build confidence and ensure everyone has the support they need.

Delivered by experienced specialist therapists, designed to nurture mindfulness, reflection, self-love and self-growth.

Book in a free Meet and Greet visit for your young person by emailing oats.jc@outlook.com

www.oats-uk.org.uk

05/01/2025

🐾 Sessions Newly Available for 2025! 🐾

🐾🌿🐴🐔🐶🐰🐹🌿🐾

OATS supports children and young people to:
🌿 Build positive self-esteem, self-confidence and self-love
🌼 Learn about fight/flight/freeze triggers and responses
🌿 Discover how to manage their emotions
🌼 Develop self-regulation or anxiety management strategies
🌿 Explore sensory overload
🌼Develop self-advocacy skills
🌿 Learn how to nourish their body and mind
🌼Create social connections with like-minded peers
🌿 Enjoy peace and calm in nature, surrounded by animals
🌼 And much more!
All our learning is experiential as the young people learn how to care and interact with the animals and nature, which in turn opens up many conversations about what we need to feel comfortable, content and regulated ourselves.
Group Availability:
🐾 Mondays 13:00-14:00 Ages 12-16 (3 spaces left)
🐾 Wednesdays 15:45-16:45 Ages 8 - 13 (2 spaces left)
🐾 Fridays 11:30-12:30 Ages 11 - 15 (2 spaces left)
Please email oats.jc@outlook.com to enquire about our sessions and to book a Meet and Greet visit.
www.oats-uk.org.uk

15/12/2024

We have some 1:1 and Group weekly sessions becoming available after Christmas.

OATS supports children and young people to:

- Build positive self-esteem, self-confidence and self-love
- Learn about fight/flight/freeze triggers and responses
- Discover how to manage their emotions
- Develop self-regulation or anxiety management strategies
- Explore sensory overload
- Develop self-advocacy skills
- Learn how to nourish their body and mind
- Create social connections with like-minded peers
- Enjoy peace and calm in nature, surrounded by animals
- And much more!

All our learning is experiential as the young people learn how to care and interact with the animals, which in turn opens up many conversations about what we need to feel comfortable, content and regulated ourselves.

Please email oats.jc@outlook.com to enquire about our sessions and to book a Meet and Greet visit.

www.oats-uk.org.uk

Address

Billingshurst

Website

http://www.oats-uk.org.uk/

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