Nature As Medicine Practitioner Certification
Connection and partnership with nature heal us in ways that are broad and deep. The health benefits of nature range across the physical, emotional, mental health, and cognitive domains. For many, time in nature also brings deep spiritual solace and inspiration. At this time in history, healthcare is poised to begin recognizing the profound benefits of nature.
This training and certification program, offered jointly by the Nature and Systems Institute, and the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, is for any licensed healthcare provider who wishes to be on the leading edge of establishing the practice of Nature as Medicine. You will become trained to guide participants in the art of forest bathing and develop a plan for incorporating Nature as Medicine into your personal life and clinical practice.
Trainers
Dr. Susan Abookire, BSEE, MD, MPH, FACP, is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and a senior executive with 22 years of experience leading healthcare organizations. She has served as Chief Medical Officer, System Chief Quality Officer, and Department Chair of the Department of Quality and Patient Safety at Mount Auburn. She founded and led the award-winning quality and patient safety program in this Harvard hospital. Dr. Abookire began her professional career as an electrical engineer in aviation systems design and brings a keen understanding of systems thinking and design to her work improving healthcare for everyone.
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Abookire trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and practices Internal Medicine. She received a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and teaches nationally and internationally. Certified as a Forest Therapy Guide, Dr. Abookire offers nature-inspired individual coaching, group coaching, leadership development, training and retreats to healthcare professionals. Her programs help professionals and patients by delivering tools for lifelong physical, mental, and cognitive wellbeing. Dr. Abookire has also developed a curriculum for Harvard Medical School residents that incorporates Forest Therapy into learning about healthcare systems and leadership. Her rich background and experience in systems design influence all her work, including supporting healthcare organizations looking for culture transformation.
Ronna Schneberger has been a professional award winning naturalist, interpreter, and hiking guide in the Canadian Mountain Parks for 25 years. She is a yoga teacher of 20 years and in the last decade incorporated yoga, meditation, and coaching in nature. The results were profound. In her quest to understand why time in nature easily creates powerful experiences, she became a Forest Therapy Guide with the ANFT, one of the first in Canada. Ronna is a trainer and mentor for forest therapy guides. She is faculty with Leadership Development at the Banff Centre where she works with leaders, professionals and executives from all over the world using nature as the teacher to create powerful reflections and transformation. She is the Chair of the ANFT Canadian Council, along with her team; she looks forward to promoting Forest Therapy in Canada.