Train to become a
Forest Therapy Guide.
Build the skills and confidence to guide meaningful forest therapy walks through accessible, grounded training and certification at The Forest Therapy School.
What is Forest Therapy?
Forest therapy is a guided, research-informed practice that helps people slow down, open the senses, and connect more deeply with the natural world. The terms forest therapy, forest bathing, and shinrin-yoku are often used interchangeably, though forest therapy is also sometimes used more specifically for guided experiences led by a trained guide.
At The Forest Therapy School, we teach forest therapy as a mindful, relational practice that supports personal and planetary wellbeing.
Forest Bathing vs. Forest Therapy:
What’s the Difference?
The terms forest bathing and forest therapy are often used interchangeably, and both are connected to the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku. In everyday use, forest bathing is often the more familiar term. In guide training and professional practice, forest therapy is sometimes used more specifically to describe a guided experience led by a trained guide.
At The Forest Therapy School, we recognize that both terms are widely used across the field. Many of our graduates call themselves Certified Forest Bathing Guides, while others use forest therapy language. On this page, we use forest therapy most often because it helps us speak clearly about guided practice, training, and certification.
How Guided Forest Therapy Is Different.
Guided forest therapy is, at its heart, a practice of nature connection. But it is more than spending time in nature on your own. It is a guided practice designed to help participants slow down, open the senses, and experience the natural world in a more intentional and meaningful way.
A trained guide supports this process through a carefully paced sequence of invitations that encourage presence, sensory awareness, and reflection. Rather than teaching, coaching, or leading a hike, the guide helps shape an experience that moves participants out of the thinking mind and into a more direct, embodied experience of nature. While there can be benefits simply from being in a forested or treed environment, guided forest therapy also pays attention to how participants are with the natural world, and how that relationship is supported.
This is what makes guided forest therapy different from self-guided nature time, hiking, or other outdoor wellness experiences. The focus is not on performance or information, but on attention, relationship, and meaningful connection with the natural world.
What Does It Mean to Be a
Certified Forest Therapy Guide?
Being a certified forest therapy guide means being trained to lead mindful, sensory-based nature experiences that help people slow down, connect with the natural world, and engage more fully through the senses.
At The Forest Therapy School, certification is not just about completing coursework. It is about developing the skills, confidence, and practical experience to guide others through a thoughtfully structured sequence of invitations with care, clarity, and integrity. Students learn how to support presence, sensory awareness, group experience, and meaningful connection with nature while also tending to pacing, place, and participant safety.
Certified forest therapy guides bring this work into many settings, including wellness, education, coaching, healthcare-adjacent work, land stewardship, and community-based practice.
How Training at The Forest Therapy School Works.
The Forest Therapy School offers both online and in-person pathways to certification, giving students a flexible and accessible way to train as guides. Both formats are designed to provide a grounded, thorough learning experience that helps students build real skill and confidence.
Training includes:
Guided learning through coursework, live instruction, and experiential practice
Supported skill-building through invitations, sensory awareness, group experience, and mentored practicum
Real-world application for work in wellness, education, coaching, healthcare-adjacent settings, land stewardship, retreats, and community-based practice
This structure helps students move beyond theory and develop the experience, confidence, and practical skills to guide meaningful forest therapy walks with care, clarity, and integrity.
Who This Training Is For.
This training is designed for people who feel called to guide others into deeper connection with the natural world through mindful, sensory-based experiences.
It may be a strong fit for:
wellness practitioners
educators
coaches
land stewards
healthcare-adjacent professionals
social workers
retreat leaders
ecotourism professionals
career changers
people seeking meaningful work in nature-based facilitation
Some students come to this training because of a love of nature or personal growth. Others come because they feel called to guide others in meaningful nature-based experiences. In both cases, the curriculum is designed to deepen understanding and build the skills and confidence to guide restorative forest therapy and forest bathing experiences.
Why This Work Matters.
Forest therapy offers more than time outdoors. It helps people slow down, pay attention, and reconnect with the living world in ways that support wellbeing, reflection, and relationship.
In a culture shaped by speed, distraction, and disconnection, this work creates space for presence, sensory awareness, reciprocity, and care. Guided forest therapy can help people shift from seeing nature as something to use or move through toward a more meaningful sense of connection, belonging, and relationship.
That shift matters. When people deepen their relationship with the natural world, they may also deepen their capacity to care for it. For guides, this means learning how to facilitate experiences that are not only restorative, but also relational, respectful, and meaningful.
Next Steps.
By now, you have a clearer picture of what forest therapy is, how guided practice works, what certification means, and how training at The Forest Therapy School is designed to support meaningful, confident guide development.
If this path speaks to you, we encourage you to explore our upcoming trainings or join an Intro to Forest Therapy Info Session.
We look forward to welcoming you into this work!
