In this program we enter the liminal space of renewed possibility for deepening our connection with the more-than-human world through Forest Therapy and The Way of Council.
Forest Therapy is the practice of sensory connection to come into intimate relationship with the more-than-human world and with each other. A series of guided invitations bring us into the present moment, opening the doors of communication with the forest, waters, and landscapes we explore. We encounter not just the forest, but through the many mirrors of nature, we also encounter ourselves.
The Way of Council is a process of communication with ourselves and each other that supports deepening into our experience. Through council we can discover the meaning of our emerging stories through sharing and being witnessed in circle. Council invites us to become more intimate with our own lives, and support each other as we move through our processes of learning, growing, grieving, and healing. Because it invites authentic expression, council can be quite intimate. Your facilitators will show how the form of Council can create space that is both vulnerable and safe.
Restorative Practices build on the Way of Council to create opportunities for exploring and healing harms in relationships. In the Council of Waters and Trees we introduce "Aloha Ropes," a restorative practice developed by Amos Clifford. Inspired by the Hawaiian tradition of Ho'oponopono and other sources, we will use this practice to deepen our relationship with the more-than-human world of nature. Through Aloha Ropes we will discover how the land can listen and speak to us, and through us give voice to its longings, wisdom, and needs. Like Council, Aloha Ropes is a method that can be readily transferred into other settings such as schools and communities.
This journey will allow us to sink deeply into the medicine of the forest. Mornings will be spent immersing ourselves in the experiential practices of Forest Therapy. Afternoon Council meetings support the deep rooting of the medicine the forest has offered us. We will experience the brief "light touch" council as it is used in Forest Therapy as well as diving into the deeper practice and learning-by-doing the core skills of council leadership.
This is an ASL video by Deaf certified ANFT guide, Summer Crider, explaining the details of this retreat, including some video clips of the Aspen Camp location.
Day 1: Arrive in the afternoon and get settled in, enjoy dinner. Meet from 7:00 - 9:00 pm for introductions and orientation.
Day 2: 9am -12pm: Guided forest therapy experience. 12:00-2:00 pm Lunch. 2:00 pm-5:00 pm discussion, lecture, experiential activities
Day 3: 9am -12pm: Guided forest therapy experience. 12:00-2:00 pm Lunch. 2:00 pm-5:00 pm discussion, lecture, experiential activities. 7:00pm - 8:30 pm (optional) join the guides for a discussion and analysis from the point of view of the guide, of the two guided forest therapy experiences. This is highly recommended for forest therapy guides and guides in training.
Day 4: 9am-11:30 am: Council, lecture, and experiential activities. 11:30 am to 2:30 pm: there will be an assignment that is completed on your own. 2:30 - 5:00 pm Council and sharing
Day 5: 9am - 11:30 am: Integration council and individual assignment for closure
Nestled in beautiful Madison Georgia, the Farmhouse Inn is just an hour's drive from Atlanta. Accomodations in the Farmhouse, Red Barn and Cottage include five private guestrooms, a two-bedroom cottage and a four-bedroom farmhouse for a cozy getaway for two or a family celebration for up to 30. Spacious guestrooms offer vintage-themed decoration and garden views. The Red Barn meeting room, terrace and adjacent lawns can be used for weddings, parties, day meetings and events. Hundred Acre Farm offers barnyard animals, nature trails, fishing, canoeing and a community garden and orchard. Groups can enjoy seasonal bonfires, hayrides, guided nature walks and trail breakfasts. One hour from Atlanta and minutes from Georgia's Lake Country with award-winning golf courses, Madison will entice you with its antebellum homes, shops and restaurants.
We offer many rooms of all sizes to host you at our farm whether you are passing through or here for an event. All of our rooms and suites include free Wi-Fi, a private TV, farm-to-table breakfast, and access to a bathroom. There is a common room available, a public garden, nature paths, and several free on-site activities.
Orchard Loft and the Hay Loft come with a king-sized bed and a private bathroom.
Americana Room has an American theme with a king bed, pull-out couch, and a sizable private bathroom.
The River Room is a cozy retreat that includes a queen bed, a pull out couch, and a private bathroom.
The Garden Room includes a queen bedroom, pull out sofa located separately from the main bed for privacy or lounging, and one private bathroom.
Hillside Cottagea sleeps up to six people and is complete with a full kitchen with cooking supplies, a dining room, a living room with one pull out sofa, one bedroom with a queen bed and a private bathroom, one bedroom with a king bed and a private bathroom, and one laundry room for guest use.
The Farmhouse sleeps up to 12 and must be booked altogether. Perfect for families or groups as there is a full kitchen including cookies supplies, laundry room available for guest use, a dining area, living room, and five bedrooms totaling three queen beds, six twin beds and three bathrooms.
The Farmhouse is able to work with any and all dietary restrictions. Breakfast is included with lodging. Lunches will be ordered for each day and will cost $15. Dinners will be ordered for each day and will cost $18.50.
From Atlanta take I-20 East to exit 114. Then north onto 441/129. Take the business route into Madison’s historic square. Go through the square and past the Ford dealership to the Madison bypass intersection. Go straight through and 5 1/2 miles to Greenboro. The sign for the Inn is on the left.
Dr, Qing Li (MD, PhD) graduated from Shanxi Medical University in China and got a PhD degree from Kagoshima University in Japan. He has studied at Stanford University School of Medicine.
He is a clinical professor at Nippon Medical School, President of the Japanese Society of ForestMedicine, Director of the Forest Therapy Society, Vice-President and Secretary General of International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine (INFOM) (https://www.infom.org).
Prof. Li is the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine and immunology. He has received Society ward from the Japanese Society for Hygiene in Forest Medicine in 2022 and University Award from Nippon Medical School in Forest Medicine in 2011 (https://researchmap.jp/read0045249?lang=en)
Some people study medicine. Some people study forest. Dr. Li studies forest medicine to find out all the ways in which walking in the forest can improve our well-being. He started the forest medicine research (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing/Forest therapy) from 2004 and has published many articles in scientific journals and books in forest medicine.
His book: Shinrin-yoku (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/308285/shinrin-yoku/9780241984857.html) has been translated into 26 languages.
His book: Forest bathing (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/579709/forest-bathing-by-dr-qing-li/) was ranked in the bestseller list in the US in 2018.
Susan Abookire, BSEE, MD, MPH, FACP, is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, a practicing Internist, and a senior executive with 20 years’ experience leading healthcare organizations. She has served as Chief Medical Officer, System Chief Quality Officer, and Chair of Quality and Patient Safety. Dr. Abookire began her career as an electrical engineer in aviation systems. She has taught nationally and internationally on patient safety, high reliability, systems design, and the health benefits of nature. Dr. Abookire also enjoys being a Forest Therapy guide and incorporates Forest Therapy into medical curricula.
Dr. Robert Zarr is a physician researcher and public health pediatrician based at Unity Health Care, Inc. and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Canada. He has provided medical care to minority and immigrant populations for more than 20 years.
A longtime advocate for Medicare for All, Dr. Zarr served as PNHP president from 2015 through 2016. He founded and was the first medical director of Park Rx America, a community health initiative to prescribe nature to patients and families to prevent and treat chronic disease and promote wellness. A certified nature and forest therapy guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, Dr. Zarr previously served as the Park Rx Advisor to the National Park Service in his national advocacy to connect patients to parks.
Dr. Zarr earned his medical degree at Baylor University and his MPH at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and completed residency in pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor.
Summer , as a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide, works in partnership with Nature to provide opportunities to help humans re-connect with the Earth and themselves.
Born and raised in the cypress swamp of North Florida, Summer has navigated through various life experiences as a human being who happens to be deaf. After getting their degrees in Expressive Art Therapy and Deaf Cultural Studies, and certified in American Sign Language, Summer taught ASL, Spanish, and Deaf Culture in various high schools and colleges/universities for 15+ years. They also established a media consulting business, making educational films accessible to the sign language community.
After they experienced some challenges with severe anxiety, Summer found Mother Nature calling them back home. Summer decided to study Nature and Forest Therapy through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and eventually found a new purpose- assisting humans from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages to rediscover their connection with the Natural world through the healing practice of forest bathing.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Our Mission: Support planetary health by nurturing heart-centered relationships between all peoples and the More-Than-Human World of Nature.
