About the ANFT Professional Guide Network
The Professional Guide Network connects forest therapy, shinrin-yoku, and forest bathing guides and leaders from all areas of the globe. Operated by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, the network provides members with an international community for personal and professional development as guides.
Joining our online membership community offers a host of exclusive benefits to elevate your personal and professional growth.
- Expand Your Network: Connect with like-minded individuals and potential collaborators for enhanced opportunities.
- Continuous Learning: Access resources, courses, and webinars to upskill and stay ahead in your industry.
- Supportive Environment: Find motivation, encouragement, and a sense of community to thrive during all stages of your journey.
- Collaboration Opportunities: Explore avenues for partnerships, idea sharing, and project collaborations within our vibrant community.
- Exclusive Content and Offers: Enjoy premium content, exclusive discounts, and early access to events tailored for our members.
- Personal Development: Develop your skills, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging through engagement with our community.
- Accountability and Motivation: Stay on track with your goals by sharing progress and receiving support from our community members.
Benefits of Membership
- Gain access to member-only resources such as an expanded library of peer-reviewed research.
- Enjoy discounts for enrollments in any ANFT Professional Development Course
- Also gain access to member-only curated collections of resources for guides
- Additional benefits are added from time to time.
Who is eligible?
Anyone may join who meets one or more of these qualifications
- Has earned certification as a Forest Therapy guide from a credible training organization*;
- Leads forest bathing or shinrin-yoku walks on a regular basis;
- Is a contributor to the growing body of research related to nature and health;
- Is involved in development of forest medicine from an academic, policy making, or research perspective.
- Writes about forest therapy and related disciplines;
- Operates a training organization for forest therapy guides and shinrin yoku leaders
What does it cost to join?
We offer two levels of membership to cater to your specific needs and goals:
Standard Membership ($5/month)
- Discounts for courses in ANFT’s Continuing Education/Professional Development Program.
- Access to the ANFT Training Manual for Forest Therapy Guides, the core text for our acclaimed training.
- Curated lists of training materials, books, research articles.
- Networking opportunities with like-minded individuals.
- Exclusive content, webinars, and resources for continuous learning.
- Supportive environment to connect, grow, and thrive.
Professional+ Membership ($8/month):
- All benefits of the Standard Membership, plus:
- Enhanced networking opportunities with industry professionals.
- Specialized content and resources tailored for career advancement.
- Priority access to collaboration opportunities and exclusive events.
- Ability to list on upcoming walks and events to other members.
- Access to our growing list of invitations submitted by guides, that can be modified for your own use.
- Access to monthly panel discussion calls with guides working in different fields.
Choose the membership level that best suits your needs and take your personal and professional growth to the next level with our online community.
*What is considered a "credible training organization?"
There are many forest therapy training organizations, with more appearing on a regular basis. All are contributing to the global movement for forest therapy, and for that we salute them . However, there is as yet no independent, international accreditation body for Forest Therapy training companies. By “accreditation” we mean qualification through a rigorous, independent standards-based assessment process that results in evidence that the company operates professionally, provides training that results in development of an adequate set of skills and knowledge to equip graduates to guide competently and safely, and has a track record through which they have demonstrated longevity and commitment to the field. We recognize that there is always a first graduating class and that organizations develop their capacity over time.
At this time we are including in the list any organization that has a standards-based curriculum (meaning they clearly define what graduates should know and be able to do as a result of completing the training) and a defined scope of practice for graduates (meaning a clear definition of what areas of endeavor a graduate is, and is not, qualified to practice on the basis of the training received),
ANFT has published its Scope of Practice and Professional Standards in the booklet “The ANFT Way of Forest Therapy,” available for download here.
If you represent an organization that you would like to propose to be listed, please let us know by completing this brief form.
Below is a list of organizations already in our list. If your organization is not listed the most likely reason is that we are not aware of you. If an organization is listed and the accreditation status is “pending” the most likely reason is that we don’t have information about what training they offer. Leaders of these organizations are invited to use the form linked above to submit information. We are also open to correspondence leading to telephone conversations and collegial exchanges such as site visits and more. Our overall intention is to nurture a global network of friendships and mutual support.
How do I join?
Select your desired membership level below to join. You will be directed to our membership platform, Circle. Thank you!
Forest Bathing Finder
We at ANFT are happy to announce a collaboration with Forest Bathing Finder (FBF) to enhance our professional guide membership benefits and resources!
Forest Bathing Finder provides a wide variety of tools to handle your business needs, allowing you to focus on providing walks with a readily accessible web presence. You can create a detailed guide profile page, list unlimited scheduled walks (offered through FBF or a 3rd party like a botanical garden, AirBnB, etc.), accept registrant’s payments, and easily withdraw funds after your walks. The website provides seamless communication between you and your registered walk participants and even has a section on your guide profile where interested parties can request private walks.
The FBF platform is used worldwide, easily translates into over 130 languages, and accepts multiple currencies. When you sign up for an annual membership through the ANFT link: www.ForestBathingFinder.com/ANFT – you will receive an extra month free your first year.
Beginning June of 2024 ANFT updated what had been our membership site. This action was taken for several reasons: 1. The software that was being used had become obsolete; 2. We decided to simplify the membership levels (there is only one level of membership now); 3. We wanted to use a platform that is easier to maintain; and 4. We eventually realized that we could use thinkific.com, the platform used in our training programs, for the membership resource portal.
In addition, we realized that using the term “member” seemed to contribute to misunderstandings. Therefore we have organized the new platform as a “Professional Guide Network.”
The current Guide Network platform allows guides to create and update their profiles at any time, and provides a much more attractive display of the guide’s information. Guides who are members can opt to be listed on both a map and in a gallery.
As we evolved our membership platform we also switched to a new organizational URL, www.anft.earth. The new member map and directory are hosted at www.anft.earth.
How to switch from the old to new member system
Why are there multiple payment options?
How do I make my profile show up on the map and in the directory?
