Nature and Forest Therapy Guides

Guide Training Immersion 4 days

Portugal, Sintra - Floresta Encantada

Cohort

September 7, 2023
to
September 11, 2023

Fully Registered - Accepting Wait List 

An opportunity to connect with other guides from other cohorts and learn from the shared experiences.
If you have completed at least module 9 and submitted the corresponding assignments, of the six-month remote Forest Therapy Guide Training you're eligible to apply. Completion of this immersion and the six-month training fulfills the requirements for full Certification. When space is available, ANFT-trained guides who have completed training in any past cohort can also participate. Please note that priority goes to students who need to take the immersion to get fully certified. Therefore, when you apply, you'll be put on a waitlist until three weeks before the start of the immersion.
Duration
6 months training +
4 day immersion
Hybrid Format
Remote Live Calls +
In Person Immersion
US$ 2495.00 +
US$495 (Travel expenses, lodging and meals not incl.)
Duration
6 months training +
4 day immersion
Hybrid Format
Remote Live Calls +
In Person Immersion
US$ 3350.00
‍US$495 (Travel expenses, lodging and meals not incl.)

A 4 day in-person gathering, with 1 or 2 trainers, and people from different cohorts where you will have the opportunity to apply what you learned, experience in-person forest therapy walks and simply connect and share experiences and stories with other guides.


In this immersion, you will:

Get a hands on experience of what you learned
Get to know trainers personally
Get to know other guides and connect
Learn from shared experiences with other guides
Deepen into the practice
Get the opportunity to ask specific questions that might come up

Once you complete this four-day immersion, your certification will be moved from provisional to permanent. You have  two years after you complete the six month core training course to complete an immersion. It will help to give you a sense of the community of guides that has grown and is active throughout the world.

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.

Schedule for Live Events

What is Included in the Training? 

14 modules, over
120 lessons
Over 14 live calls with your trainers and cohort
Small group discussion calls with trainers
Downloadable manual
30+ short videos, recorded by different trainers
40+ assignments/ self exploration activities
20+ nature connection activities
Access to research papers and studies
Fun Facts and Reflections
Remote Forest Therapy walks guided by trainers
Guide your own walks and debrief them
Access to the largest forest therapy guide's community worldwide

About the Venue:
VENUE
Floresta Encantada - Sintra
Caminho das Azenhas, 5
Sintra
Portugal
https://www.florestaencantadasintra.com

Sintra, also known as the Moon Hill, is a charming town in the centre of Portugal, 30 minutes away from Lisbon.

It is nestled within the cooling hills of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park where the landscape is dominated by granitic mountains, lush forests and the dramatic coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the most western point of Europe. This unique combination of geological and geographical features and the vegetation gives rise to a microclimate that makes this such a special place. There are many forest trails and parks to delight in.

Sintra, was adopted as a summer place of residence by Kings, noblemen and wealthy members of the bourgeoisie, and still conserves a notable architectural heritage. You will find whimsical palaces, extravagant villas and the ruins of a moorish Castle from the 8th Century.

Due to its harmonious blend with nature, UNESCO classified Sintra as a world Heritage site in the category of cultural landscapes.

https://www.sintra-portugal.com/index.html

https://www.visitportugal.com/en/content/discovering-sintra

LODGING

Accommodation:
This is a self catering event which means participants are responsible for securing their own accommodation independently.

HERE you can find a list of local accommodations in the historical centre of Sintra.

You want to look for an accommodation that is near the Venue Location (no more than 10 to 15 min walk).

MEALS

Meals are not included. Participants are responsible for securing their own food. We recommend you plan for bringing a packed lunch for the day, each day of the Immersion.

TRANSPORTATION

Arriving at Floresta Encantada in Sintra

By Air
Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport:30 minutes by car from Floresta Encantada
There are Uber and Taxi options at the airport and cost around €40 one way.
90 minutes on public transport from Floresta Encantada
Public transport costs to Sintra are around 8€ one way.

By Metro
From Lisbon Airport take the Metro (Red Line) to Oriente station. Check timetables HERE

By Train
From Lisboa-Oriente station take the train to Sintra station. Check timetables HERE

IMPORTANT:During the Immersion there will be a shuttle service to transport all participants from the venue to the forests where we will be holding the Forest therapy walks and other nature based explorations.There is an additional cost for the shuttle service. Please connect with Geeta at geeta47geeta@gmail.com | +351 965 223 115 /(WhatsApp) for more detailed information on prices for the shuttle.

We strongly recommend you book the shuttle service as it will ease your mind from securing transportation to the different locations where the nature based explorations will take place.

SCHEDULE DETAILS

Arrival
Welcoming and check in for the Immersion  is from 4pm to 6.00pm on 7th September 2023 at Floresta Encantada venue. There will be refreshments to greet you.

Immersion program begins at 8.30am on 8th of September at Floresta Encantada.

Departure
Program ends after lunch at 2pm on  the 11th of September 2023

GENERAL NOTES

COVID Policy

Participants will need to have a negative COVID test before entering the venue premises, within 24 hours of the start of the event. This can be an at-home-test and needs to be sent to either Geeta at geeta47geeta@gmail.com or Liz at liz@theftg.earth.

The training team will be in touch the month before the immersion to let you know what the specific COVID protocol will be during the immersion. The policy will likely mirror whatever the local policy is at the time of the event. Much of the immersion will take place outside and everyone will have the option to wear a mask whenever they wish to do so. Please be in touch directly with the trainers for this immersion if you have any additional questions.

WIFI 
Wifi is available at Floresta Encantada

Extra Costs to consider

Shuttle Service to the parks we will be visiting: Please connect with Geeta at geeta47geeta@gmail.com | +351 965 223 115 /(WhatsApp) for more detailed information on prices for the shuttle.
Celebration Dinner at the Venue: There will be a vegetarian meal cooked by a natural chef. Price - 25€ per person
Entrance Fees to Natural Park: There will be a cost of 10€ entrance fee to Monserrate Park and to Quinta da Regaleira park

Tuition

The tuition for the four-day immersion is $495. Wait to pay until you are ready to register for a specific immersion. You will have two years from the completion of your core guide training to do the immersion.

Immersion tuition does not include transportation, lodging or camping fees and food. These expenses are separate from the program costs for the four-day immersion and are the responsibility of the trainee.

IMPORTANT: Please wait until you receive enrollment confirmation before booking travel and lodging.

Tuition figures are current as of January 1 2021 and are subject to change.

Trainers

Entrenadores

Geeta is a certified Forest Therapy Guide based in Portugal and the founder of the company Renature where she creates and facilitates restorative programs that promote wellbeing and health through Forest Therapy, nature connection practices, clean eating and self-care. She works all over the world with various populations that range from the general public, corporate senior and junior teams, schools, families, mental health populations and individuals recovering from situations of excess stress and resulting depression and anxiety. Her passion is to bring human beings back to nature and support the reconnection to the restorative potency of the natural world. She is trained in Forest Therapy, Embodied Mindfulness and Conscious Resting, Council and Active Meditation Techniques, and in the field of Healthcare as a Pharmacist. She holds a Masters in Business Management and is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French.

Leaving her career as a commercial real estate lawyer in 2012 was a huge leap of faith for Liz though one of the best decisions of her life; a career in law was just not for her. She left London and moved to Brighton where she trained to teach mindfulness. Teaching mindfulness courses to individuals and workplace groups was rewarding but she felt something was missing. So for the following 5 years, Liz went on a journey of self investigation, travelling in Nepal and India until a chance meeting with an ANFT Guide introduced her to the practice of forest therapy. During her initial guide training, Liz knew that finally, as a Forest Therapy Guide, she had found her calling.  As a Certified Guide and an Apprentice Trainer, Liz guides forest therapy walks and experiences in and around Yorkshire, UK. The walks, nature connection retreats and team-building away-days that Liz offers bring participants into healthier relationship with themselves, with others and with the natural environment.

Advisor

Entrenadores

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.

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.

Advisor

Summer Crider

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.

Advisors

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.


Certification Pathway

STEP 1
6-month remote training
STEP 2
4-day in-person immersion
STEP 3
Get your certification
STEP 1
You will start with a 6-month remote training, covering the content on live calls with the support of your trainers, fellow students, a very user friendly learning platform, many self exploration and nature connection activities that are done outside. After completing this training you get a provisional certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide. To view the available trainings scroll down
STEP 2
After completing month 4 you can attend a 4-day in-person immersion, for hands on forest therapy guiding experience with trainers and fellow students. You have two years time to complete this step. To view the available immersions click here
STEP 3
After completing the 6-month remote training and the 4-day in- person immersion, you will receive your permanent certification as an ANFT Certified
Forest Therapy Guide
and be part of the largest Forest Therapy
Guide Community Worldwide. Click here to see the guide´s map.
IMPORTANT: Before you send out your application, please make sure that the
schedule for the calls works for you and your time zone. Check the detailed Schedule HERE
Additional Questions?  Check our FAQ section

Advisors

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.


Advisors

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.


Advisors

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.