Guide Training FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About the Forest Therapy Guide Certification Training
How much does the training cost?
Regular Tuition for all Remote Forest Therapy Guide Trainings is US $3,350.00
Students may opt to select a payment plan for tuition if full payment cannot be made upfront. Payment plans are for $560 per month over six months, $3,360.00 USD total, with the first payment of $560 serving as a deposit that will confirm your enrollment and reserve your space in the course.
The tuition for the four-day immersion is $495. It does not include travel, lodging or meals. Wait to pay until you are ready to complete the immersion. You will have two years from the completion of your core guide training to do the immersion.
Certification requires a Wilderness First Aid Certification (or equivalent in regions where Wilderness First Aid training is not available). This course is provided by several different organizations and costs range from $175 USD to $300 USD. We provide resources for you to find a course near you during your practicum and a discount code through our affiliate, Institute for Wild Med. You may complete your WFA requirement by attending either an in-person or online training.
Tuition figures are current as of most recent update on August 17, 2023 and are subject to change.
In addition ANFT has other online and in-person programs. They are not part of the Guide Training and Certification Course, but many guides come to them to gather with other guides, learn new skills, and experience new and advanced techniques of forest therapy. We hope to see you there!
Are scholarships, financial aid, or work trade options available?
2024 Cohorts
In response to a growing number of students in need of financial support, ANFT will be revamping our Financial Aid offering in 2024. In lieu of scholarships, ANFT will be offering tuition discount codes to anyone who attends our Training Walkthrough Calls.
These calls are designed to provide an overview of our Guide Training Certification program and give students an opportunity to meet some of our trainers and learn more about the Forest Therapy Guide path. Visit our Home page to register for our next call. After attending the call, you will receive an email with a discount code to enroll in our 6-month Guide Training Course.
Updated January 2024
Where can I take the remote training part of the course? Do I have to live in the US?
Updated April 2022
Where can I take the Immersion training part of the course?
Updated April 2022
English is not my first language; do you offer training in other languages?
Updated April 2022
How do I enroll in training/which cohort is right for me?
Once you have decided that you are ready to take the Forest Therapy Guide Certification Program, you will need to choose a course with the schedule that works best for you. All Guide Certification course cover the same content. It is important to select the training that fits your personal schedule to ensure that you can regularly attend live sessions and complete your assignments. Find a training that works for you HERE
How many hours should I plan on dedicating to my studies?
Updated April 2022
Why do the trainings have different names? And why are the schedules not exactly the same?
The remote 6-month trainings all follow the same curriculum and the same content and scope of learning. The name of each cohort is just a name to identify the different groups and is not an indicator of a different content. (Unless it is specifically mentioned)
The schedules are all similar and yet differ in some aspects. You might notice that some of the groups have longer and maybe fewer calls and other groups have shorter but more calls. The training teams will cover the same content and learning experience in different ways. Some training teams like to do shorter calls and allow some time to discuss the content in a different call, other training teams prefer to have longer calls and do the content and the discussion in the same call. Depending on what works with your learning style but also with your schedule, you can consider one or the other option.
Am I required to complete the four-day immersion after I've completed the six-month core training program?
Therefore, the immersion is required for permanent certification. Through the six-month core program you will earn the provisional right to identify as an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide. The provisional status will be removed after you complete the four-day immersion.
Updated 26 May 2020
Do I have to be a hiker to apply? A naturalist? A therapist?
Do I have to attend all the calls/Are the calls live/recorded?
All of the classes listed on the course schedule are live and online. The main content calls are recorded. If you miss them you can go back and watch. The Pod calls are not recorded so you will need to attend those live session if you choose to participate. The POD calls are designed to be interactive and while optional they are very beneficial in deepening your understanding and giving you an opportunity to ask questions and get clarification. We expect you to attend at least 8 out of 14 live sessions to get the most out of your training.
In an effort to hold a respectful container for all students: please plan on being present and participating during the live sessions. We understand that there are times people may need to miss some or part of some sessions, but it is expected that students participate in group discussions and even co-guide walks during the live sessions.
How do the remotely guided walks work?
Where can I guide forest therapy walks during my training?
- You will be required to successfully organize and guide at least four walks during your training. You do not have to have a formal internship to do this; however, we do require that you secure permission from the managers of the land where the trail you use is located. The training will include information and examples to support you with this.
You’ll begin by exploring your area to find a suitable trail (we’ll teach you what to look for). Many trainees develop relationships with parks, botanic gardens, arboretums, and similar places during their practicum. For some trainees, these relationships have blossomed, and they continue to guide on those same trails. Some trainees work at nature education centers or other places where there are suitable trails; if this is the case for you, it’s possible that you will be able to guide where you work and hopefully introduce forest therapy into the programs offered there.
Following a list of possible places where you could offer Forest Therapy walks:
- Forests
- Beach
- Urban parks
- Deserts
- Garden Centers
- On kayaks
- And many more
And here are some ideas of how you could incorporate forest therapy into existing practices and different groups that you could approach to offer forest therapy as a complement.
- Leadership and service provider in Parks Prescription and similar programs
- Integrating forest therapy into counseling and social work
- Introducing forest therapy into holistic healing and wellness practices, at spas and in other settings
- Including forest therapy as a powerful force to support personal coaching
- Bringing forest therapy into employee wellness programs
- Incorporating forest therapy into executive retreats and organizational team building
- Extending classroom learning time into the outdoors
- Nature education, environmental studies, and advocacy
- Teaching forest therapy as a personal practice for self-development
- Nature education and interpreting at parks, botanic gardens, arboretums, and nature preserves
Do you offer Professional Development for Certified Guides?
What if I can’t complete an immersion within the 2-years?
Can I complete the training remotely while working full time?
How is your training structured?
Our training consists of two parts until further updates:
Part 1 You will start with a 6-month remote training, covering the content on live calls on Zoom with your trainers and fellow students. There are at least 14 of these calls. These calls are recorded, so in case you cannot attend one of these, you can watch the recordings. There will also be small group calls or discussion calls where you will dive deeper into each of the content sessions. You will also be guided on remote forest therapy walks by your trainers and will start practicing the guiding yourself. As part of this program, you will be spending a lot of time exploring this practice through nature connection activities and self-exploration exercises outside. We work with a learning platform where the content is hosted. Here you will find the chapters of the manuals, short videos, articles, studies, and the assignments. After completing this 6-month training you will receive a provisional certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide that is valid for 2 years.
The 6-month training is divided in 14 modules with content and 1 preparation module. The modules open as you advance on the training.
Part 2 If you have completed at least module 4 and submitted the corresponding assignments, of the six-month remote Forest Therapy Guide Training you are eligible to apply for a 4-day in-person immersion. Priority is given to those who have completed all six months and have already been provisionally certified as Forest Therapy Guides. Completion of this immersion and the six-month training fulfills the requirements for full Certification. 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 part of the training. We want to offer as much flexibility and freedom as possible.
How long do I have access to the Thinkific training course?
What Wilderness First Aid Course should I take?
Is a CPR/First Aid certification the same as Wilderness First Aid certification?
In a wilderness setting, there may be more responsibility placed on the first responders, i.e. those who are with the patient when they are discovered, or the incident occurs. It is for this reason that ANFT requires completion of a Wilderness First Aid course in order to become a certified Forest Therapy Guide.
How does ANFT address Land Acknowledgement?
I love the idea of foraging flowers/leaves for tea as is mentioned on your website, but I have concerns about over-foraging happening, especially in urban areas. Do you address this in your training?
What if there are no tea plants in the areas that I guide?
It is strongly recommended to start with a local class and then expand your knowledge with reputable books and websites. Caution: do not rely on Google searches as a source……. This can be dangerous. Find reputable websites when using the web. You are also encouraged to find a qualified herbalist or foraging expert with a good reputation built on years of study in your bioregion.
Human Communities, Like Forests, Thrive On Diversity
The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs is committed to creating and sustaining a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive environment for new guides, participants and contributors from all cultures and backgrounds. We strive to be a place of belonging for all people interested in cultivating healthy relationships within human communities and the natural world.