Frequently Asked Questions

On a forest therapy guided walk. the guide encourages participants to activate all their senses to foster an immersive experience with the natural world.  The walk includes an orientation, invitations to activities  to enhance immersion with the forest and the senses that may include independent wandering and sitting interspersed with the opportunity to share. A special tea ceremony with snacks is held at the conclusion. The guide will make available mats and stools for participants if requested in advance of the walk. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own. Walks are held rain or shine.

Yes, it is possible to adapt the experience to the participant.  Forest Therapy Guided walks can be modified so that anyone can participate.  For example some ‘walks’ have been held in nursing homes where people are not mobile or able to go outside. There the guide modified the experience to bring the forest inside.  Please note; it is important for the guide to be aware of a disability prior to the walk to modify the experience to be accessible.  This may require changing the location of the walk; the types of invitations that are crafted and other actions.

A certified forest therapy guide encourages participants on a walk to connect with the natural world.  He or she is not a therapist as a result of completing the certification.  The forest provides the ‘therapy’. The Association of Nature and Forestry Guides and Program’s certified forest therapy guide training builds on the practices developed in Japan drawing on the latest medical research, new developments in the field of nature connection, and ancient traditions of mindfulness and wellness promotion. In this training guides learn skills that are applicable in any forest ecosystem or bioregion. They can be adapted to other natural settings besides forests, and are also effective in human-built environments such as city parks and botanic gardens. They can be readily integrated with health promotion, psychotherapy, social work, recreation, nature education, employee wellness programs, conservation efforts and many other specialties.
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It is a six-month training that begins with a week-long immersion and education with experienced forest therapy instructors, which is followed by a field practicum consisting of a series of structured assignments completed over a series of six months. During the practicum trainees are supported by mentoring via phone or skype and by monthly group conference calls with other participants in their cohort. Completion of a detailed curriculum is required for certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide (CFTG).

Forest therapy does not engage in activities that require a great deal of physical exertion. Part of the appeal of Shinrin-Yoku-inspired forest therapy is that it is highly accessible to people with a wide range of fitness abilities and conditions. No physical exertion is encouraged or facilitated by the practice or during our trainings.

For more information about the health benefits visit the Association of Forest and Therapy Guides and Programs Science page.