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Rice Lake therapy center uses techniques unique to Midwest

Two years ago Krys Robinson’s son, Cody, was out of control.

Diagnosed with autism, Cody, now 12 years-old, was violent, had trouble at school, could barely talk and never smiled.

“Basically, we went through hell trying therapists and everything else, and nothing really seemed to work,” said Robinson, 32, of Shell Lake, Wis.

But all that changed when Cody arrived at Nature’s Edge Therapy Center in Rice Lake, Wis., a non-profit organization that provides occupational, physical and speech therapy to individuals, while incorporating safe interactions with animals and nature.

“For a kid who never smiled, the first time he saw the three-legged dog, Buddy, he smiled,” Robinson said. “We knew no matter what, we needed to bring him out there.”

Founded by speech and language pathologist Becky Lundeen in 2000, the center, located at 2523 14 ¾ Ave.,  provides intensive rehabilitation by licensed staff in a natural setting. It is the only year-long program like this in the Midwest and one of a select few in the nation.

While Lundeen said not many people know about the center, doctors are optimistic and supportive of the program, and she sees a great deal of success in her clients.

“People around will go ‘What’s Nature’s Edge?’ because we’re not paying for that marketing tool,” Lundeen said, adding she hears people talking about smaller therapy centers close by that don’t do half the things she does.

The center is unlike most therapy programs in hospital settings. Covering 65-acres of land, sessions take place both in Lundeen’s home and outside, and the nearly 40 trained animals used for therapy are never far away.

At Lundeen’s ranch house, horses roam the fields as Molly the goat, Sierra the pig, and Buddy, a three-legged golden retriever, wander around close to the barn. Llamas, a donkey, rabbits, ducks, a chinchilla and a cow are also nearby.

Mark Boernke, 48, of Eau Claire, who has autism, and director of Nature's Edge Therapy Center, Inc. in Rice Lake, Wis. Becky Lundeen, an occupational, speech and physical therapist work on communication during a recent session. Photo by Nicole Strittmater

The inside of Lundeen’s home is just as animal-friendly. Dogs greet clients with tails wagging, and cats appear every now and then atop tables and chairs. Bird cages fill the corners of the cheery home, creating a welcoming environment for sessions to take place.

“The animals kind of make things warmer, less threatening,” Lundeen said.

Registered with the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, the American Hippotherapy Association, the Delta Society Pet Partner Program and the People Animals and Nature Association, the center has 19 volunteer board members, including community members, physicians and State Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar.

The center usually takes clients who aren’t finding success in a hospital setting, Lundeen said.

“Our mission is to take patients regardless of what funding ability they have. So if they don’t have insurance or coverage to be seen at a hospital or they’re not making any progress with their therapy, then we go ahead and we can work with them here,” she said. “Usually we get better results, because in a hospital, it’s more of a closed-in clinic room and out here it’s a ranch.”

Mark Boernke, 48, of Eau Claire, who has autism, draws his favorite thing at a recent therapy session: a race car. Photo by Nicole Strittmater

Lundeen, along with two other therapists, incorporates several different treatment programs into her sessions: hippotherapy, horticulture therapy and animal-assisted therapy.

Hippotherapy involves the movements of the horse. In a controlled setting, patients participate in activities with the horse to help impairments and functional limitations.

Horticulture therapy is the use of nature and gardening in a therapy session. The center’s nature trails, trout stream, duck pond, greenhouse, farmland and forested areas give clients the opportunity to work with nature.

Animal-Assisted therapy uses trained animals to accelerate progress and promote a bond between humans and animals.

Robinson said she loved what these therapies did for her son.

“They got him to do basically little things like feeding the bird and stuff like that, working with the chinchilla to do … smaller motor things. That helped out a lot,” she said. “He has tremors, so his hands shake. Just working with small stuff like that got him to where he could hold a pencil and write … He could catch a ball, and he could throw a ball.”

Cody learned his ABCs by working with horses, Robinson said. The letters of the alphabet hung on the wall, and he gave verbal commands to lead the horse to the correct letter.

 “The animals out there brought out the best of him. I’ve seen it with other kids out there, too,” Robinson said. “Just being around them made the kids want to try harder to work with the other animals.”

Board of Director volunteer Tim, Jubie hangs the race car Mark Boernke, 48, of Eau Claire, who has autism, gave to him in his office at Link Bros. Ford in Rice Lake, Wis. Photo by Nicole Strittmater

At a recent therapy session, Lundeen incorporated something other than animals and nature.
Sitting around her kitchen table, Lundeen and Mark Boernke, 48, of Eau Claire, who has  autism, worked on communication while his caregiver and one of the center’s board members, Tim Jubie, watched.

Equipped with a homemade picture book Mark used to answer questions, the two conversed for an hour.

“How are you today?” Lundeen said.

Mark pointed to a picture of a happy emotion in the book.

“What did you have for breakfast?”

Flipping to the food section, he pointed to a mixture of breakfast foods.

During the conversation, Mark worked on one of his favorite hobbies: drawing race cars.

Using a ruler for accuracy, Mark drew the car, explained what each part was and wrote “Tim, Mark Boernke” on it and proudly handed it to Jubie.

Jubie, the general manager of Link Brothers Ford in Rice Lake, volunteers his time at the center. He said he is impressed with Lundeen’s techniques.

“It’s really cutting edge therapy,” he said.

Jubie said he became involved with Nature’s Edge because he learned a lot from his mentally-disabled brother-in-law.

“Once I got to know (him), I realized that even though they don’t have our cognitive abilities, they’re really very special people, and they really can do a lot more on their own than we give them credit for,” Jubie said. “I try to lead a Christian life and do unto others as I would have them do unto me, and seeing the … limitations placed upon them by society, I decided … there’s something we can do.” 

(Above) Dan Nold, diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, works outside with director of Nature's Edge Therapy Center, Inc.Becky Lundeen, an occupational, speech and physical therapist. (Below) Board of director volunteer Tim Jubie watches one of Lundeen's sessions for the first time. He says he is impressed with her techniques. Photo by Nicole Strittmater

When he thinks of Nature’s Edge, he said he most remembers a young girl from his church.

“You can tell she was a gifted child, and there was a lot going on upstairs, but due to some handicap she had, it held her back … but that’s all changed,” he said. “She’s a much different person today … Watching what (Nature’s Edge) did for her and her family … I think that’s probably a memory that I’ll never forget for as long as I live.”

Besides therapy sessions for mentally-disabled people, Nature’s Edge also has a program for teens from troubled homes.

The teens go to the center and do agriculture activities, instead of sitting at home, watching TV, smoking or sitting on the curbside where their parents are working, Lundeen said.

“They’re doing projects with the animals, with the landscape, with the horticulture to help those with disabilities,” she said.

The center also helps with the Baron County 4-H program.

Lundeen said her long-term goal is to move out of her home, make it into an administrative office and build a retreat for people to come in worldwide who need intensive therapy, a $1.5 million project.

But for now, Lundeen said she loves the way things are going.

“Working not only with the patient, but then the whole family component so that everyone gets better together,” she said of her favorite part of her job.

Robinson said she is definitely appreciative.

“Everybody’s focused at the hospitals and schools towards what kind of behavior they’re capable of and how do we protect ourselves against it,” Robinson said. “When you take them out (to Nature’s Edge), it’s more of ‘What are they capable of doing and how can we bring that out of them?’ … I love it.”

And now, Cody smiles.