Becoming a Forest Therapy Guide
Is this the path for you?
“…it occurred to me that I was missing something very crucial to my well being: Nature. Pure, quiet, serene, dynamic and enthralling nature. I couldn’t ignore this fact any longer. I had to make a drastic change to my life.”
It was the first day of my training of becoming a forest therapy guide. I had flown across the entire country. There I was standing in a circle of at least twenty complete strangers in a sunny, open field in Sonoma Valley, California. It was my turn to talk.
Everyone had been brave enough to speak from the heart before me so I trusted to the same. I tried to speak through the tears that burst forth like a breached dam released from my soul. I don’t remember what I managed to say but it was a combination of words expressing gratitude, grief, hope, relief and love. I had realized that throughout my life, I had always deeply connected to nature while I was in solitude and for the first time, I could share that bond with nature with others. I was not alone. I was officially on the path of becoming a forest therapy guide and with it, I would leave behind a new marriage and a decade of professional acting in New York City.
photo by Abby Portman
Missing Nature
My path to full adulthood was a winding one full of loops and divergent forks. From growing up in Vermont, I ended up living in New York City to experience the cultural diversity and the arts for 14 years. I loved it up until the very end. For many of those years, I was an actor exploring my psyche and battling my ego. It was exciting and very, very challenging. But despite rubbing elbows with celebrities and feeling the glory of the stage’s spotlight and financial reward that comes with doing commercial work, it occurred to me that I was missing something very crucial: Nature. Pure, quiet, serene, dynamic and enthralling nature. I couldn’t ignore this fact any longer. I had to make a drastic change to my life. I began working as a gardener.
Discovery of Forest Bathing
It didn’t take long for me to realize the healthful benefits that nature provides. I was on the right path. Through my connections with urban gardeners, I befriended a young woman who worked at Rikers Island, offering Horticultural Therapy to prison inmates. Wow! Could I do that? I remember sitting down at the computer with my career counselor and googling “horticultural therapy”. It didn’t feel quite right for me but it was close. What if there was something out there that was deeply ingrained in my being? Forests. Nature. I googled what I thought was a made up term, “Forest Therapy”. It was 2014 and I had never heard of such a thing and there it was right along with forest bathing!
Getting the Training
It was the very first certification training held by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) to become a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide. I was excited that as a guide, I would have the knowledge and skills to lead forest bathing walks. The training was to be on the opposite side of the country in Santa Rosa, California. I had to go, there was no question about it. I found a way by bartering my film making services and with the help and generosity of family and friends, I flew out to California to take part in the week-long intensive training. It was to say the least, a life changing experience.
“I don’t remember what I managed to say but it was a combination of words expressing gratitude, grief, hope, relief and love.”
Do you want to become a forest therapy guide?
You likely have a deep affinity for nature and are compelled to share this with others. Along with this affinity of nature, having love, humility and patience are good traits to help you become a guide. You might be getting the same feeling that I had years ago about the prospect of becoming a guide. Listen to your soul. Listen to your heart. If you are called to pursue certification, honor yourself by doing so. The world needs people like you right now and if it’s the earth and not your ego that is guiding you, it is your time. As a guide, you will deepen your relationship to nature and you are also going to hold space for people from all walks of life to heal and connect to the natural world. And you will be part of what Joanna Macy calls, “The Great Turning.”
Making A Difference In This World
Know that this is a relatively new practice that has taken hold. It is being embraced but it has yet to become as commonplace as other related practices such as yoga or meditation. There are guides all over the world working hard at advancing the message that nature is good for us and that we can be good for her as well. If you are already involved in health care, having a certification would be a wonderful addition to your practice. If you come from a completely unrelated field, this certification will enable you to set up your own practice and be part of the global community of guides.
Know that having your own practice will require a good deal of screen time, networking and administration work. It will take some time, financial investment and hard work to be able to guide full time. In fact only a few out of hundreds of guides are making this their full time occupation. So being a guide may serve well as a parallel career to the one you already have or this may be something you do on your spare time as a passion project.
Regardless of how being a guide fits into your life as a feasible occupation, there is a great chance it will change the way you see the world.
“I am of the opinion that the world needs people like you right now. If it’s the earth and not your ego that is guiding you, it is your time. It is our time.”
Steps to Becoming a Forest Therapy/ Forest Bathing Guide
1. Listen to your soul and decide if this is right for you.
2. Find a training organization that’s holding a training at an accessible location near you.
3. Attend the training (3-8 days)
4. Fulfill the practicum requirements in your area (3-6 months)
5. Certification Approval
Choosing The Right Training Organization
As I mentioned, since my participation in the first cohort at ANFT in 2014, there have been a number of organizations that have begun to offer certifications for becoming a forest therapy/ forest bathing guide. Out of all that have sprung up, I will highlight four that I believe will give you the proper, comprehensive, authentic training in the practice that is firmly rooted in shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”.
Keep in mind, I’m not being paid by these organizations to promote them. This is purely from my own evaluation of their programs and from my experiences and what I know about the people who are involved in them. There are so many ways to guide people towards connecting to nature. It is important to know that there are only some that specialize in specifically forest therapy/forest bathing. It is a unique field and practice and when utilized properly, has a profound effect on people. So in no particular order:
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT)
From their website:
Steps to becoming certified
STEP 1
You will start with a 6-month remote training, covering the content on live calls with your trainers and fellow students. As part of this program you will also be spending a lot of time exploring this practice through nature connection activities outside. After completing this training you will receive a provisional certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide.
You will start with a 6-month remote training, covering the content on live calls with your trainers and fellow students. As part of this program you will also be spending a lot of time exploring this practice through nature connection activities outside. After completing this training you will receive a provisional certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide.
STEP 2
After completing at least module 9 and submitted the corresponding assignments, of the six-month remote Forest Therapy Guide Training you’re eligible to apply to a 4-day in-person immersion. During this time you will have the opportunity to be guided on forest therapy walks by your trainers and to deepen into this practice. You have two years time to complete this step. To view the available immersions click here
STEP 3
After completing the 6-month remote training and the 4-day in- person immersion, you will receive your permanent certification as an ANFT Certified
Forest Therapy Guide and be part of the largest Forest Therapy
Guide Community Worldwide. Click here to see the guide’s map.
From their website:
Integrative Forest Therapy Practitioner Training
This training was developed in collaboration with MIND Hillingdon UK.
Certificate- Blended Online Training with Nature Immersion Option
Jointly certified by MIND Hillingdon UK and Nádúr, this training is suitable for allied health and social care professionals, mental health practitioners, environmental professionals, foresters, creative practitioners, academics, and wellness practitioners. This practitioner level works with individuals experiencing psychological distress, mild, or moderate mental health difficulties and takes place over three and a half months. This is a 6-month blended online training programme with four weeks of intensive training and 5 months of mentored practice. Practitioners who do not have specific mental health training must undertake a 2 Day Mental Health First Aid Training and must also undertake an outdoor first aid training.
There is an option of a 3-day nature immersion training. Please see current trainings for further details.
This training addresses the following areas:
· Integrative health and wellbeing
· Mental health literacy
· Nature-based needs assessment
· Design, delivery, and evaluation of Integrative Forest Therapy programmes
· The Nádúr process model
· The Nádúr manualised 12-week Integrative Forest Therapy intervention
· Working with specific populations across a life stage model
· Groupwork facilitation
· Forest medicine and site selection
· Sensory awareness and embodiment
· Ecogrief
email: nfo@nadurforesttherapy.com
Global International Forest Therapy (GIFT)
From their website:
THE STEPS OF YOUR CERTIFICATION PATHWAY
Attend the Training
The first step of becoming a GIFT certified forest therapy guide is to attend all components of the 8-day forest therapy guide training intensive (or participate in our Distance Study Program. It is compulsory that you attend all sessions, each day in order to become certified.
Complete Practicum
The second step is to complete all assignments of the 6-month mentored practicum that follows immediately after the 8-day training intensive (or Distance Study Program). At the end of these 6 months, and once approved by your mentor, you are ready for graduation.
Please note this includes completing the standard first aid training for working outdoors in your country of residence.
Graduate
Attend your virtual graduation ceremony and receive your certificate in the post!
Ongoing participation in the Guiding Community
Your certification tuition cost includes a free year of GIFT forest therapy guide membership, which starts after graduation (if you graduate within the first half of the year you get the remainder of the year for free, if you graduate within the second half of the year you get the following year for free). After this year is complete you will need to renew your membership. This includes the membership fee, keeping your first-aid training current and giving us an update on your guiding practice. Find out more here, including what you receive as a guide member here.
International Forest Therapy Alliance (INFTA)
From their website:
INFTA sets the standards for and organizes the training of INFTA-Certified Forest Therapy Guides nationally and internationally. This is done in close collaboration with members of the INFTA Advisory Board, established research institutes and organizations as part of a dynamic international network. Training of Forest Therapy Guides is based on the International Core Curriculum for Forest Therapy (ICCFT) designed by INFTA in 2017. In the process, the ICCFT was evaluated and validated by over 120 international experts from 20 countries.
INFTA-Certified Forest Therapy Guide training aims to provide learners with the knowledge, competencies and confidence to facilitate high-quality Forest Therapy sessions for a very large spectrum of clients and participants. This training offers the opportunity to develop professional and personal leadership, social and interpersonal capacity, and the skills and technical knowledge to contribute to the growing field of research in the area of Forest Therapy as a Public health practice.
During the mentored and supervised six-months practicum, learners will develop skills and competencies to:
- organise and lead Forest Therapy sessions in forests and other natural environments
- understand group dynamics and people management
- comprehend the evidence-based research related to nature and Forest Therapy
- recognize and deal with a range of situations, time and risk management
- establish, communicate and consistently follow a personal values framework
- empower participants to become nature-connected and environmentally conscious.
Wherever you are on your journey, I hope this helps you! Please leave your comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I am available for consultations at natureconnectionguide@gmail.com. May the forest be with you:)
by Duncan Murdoch
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Duncan is a certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide through ANFT and a Nature Integration Consultant. Contact Nature Connection Guide if you would like to experience a Nature & Forest Therapy Walk and if you would like to know how to best incorporate nature into your life. Be sure to subscribe to Nature Connection Guide’s Nature Newsletter to keep informed and current on the movement of Nature Connection.
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NCG would like respectfully acknowledge that we are guiding in Vermont, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Abenaki People.
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