The above video was filmed in our home town of Askola, in Southern Finland. You will get to know our team, featured on the video, by clicking ‘Our professionals’.
 

Oivallusvaara was born in 2014 when Eerika Korhonen graduated as an occupational therapist. A future in the service of large organisations did not feel quite right, so she came up with an idea about a company that would offer animal-assisted wellbeing services.
 

In 2016, Oivallusvaara converted from a business owned and run by one person into a joint-stock company, as specialist physician Janne Tuovila joined the team, assuming responsibility of the medical aspects of the business.

In the same year, Oivallusvaara Oy took part in its first EU-funded project which enabled it to specialise in developing nature- and animal-assisted services through various training programmes.
 

Soon after this, the Oivallusvaara team was strengthened by new talent. The service range began to include more and more nature services. Also, students gradually found their way to Oivallusvaara to complete parts of their studies.

At the same time, new research data on the health benefits of nature began to be covered in the media and gain increasing popularity in the mainstream. This scientific data also confirmed our own experiences about the benefits of spending time in nature. Each member of Team Oivallusvaara has extensive nature skills acquired through various hobbies and training.
 

Over the years, the team has enhanced their skill and knowledge base by studying and taking educational visits, the most significant of which was a trip to Japan in 2019 to study with doctor Qing Li and learn about Japan’s forest medicine. This study visit was made possible by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
 

Oivallusvaara owns no buildings or land areas which means that our operations put as little strain on natural resources as possible. All activities are conducted outdoors or in specially dedicated facilities. Read more about the nomadic principles of Oivallusvaara here…