5 Reasons to Become a Forest Therapy Guide

by Julie Sczerbinski

Have you been feeling a nudge to share your love of nature with others? Becoming a certified forest therapy guide is one of the most meaningful ways to do just that.

Forest therapy, also known as shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, is a mindful, sensory practice that helps people reconnect with nature and themselves. As a forest therapy guide, you create space for others to slow down, open their senses, and rediscover belonging in the natural world. 

After nearly a decade of walking with people in the woods, and half that time training guides, I’ve witnessed the healing power of the forest in so many lives—my own included. Even though I’ve trained more than 400 guides across the globe, I still find myself moved every time I watch someone find their inner stillness or rediscover their sense of wonder.

What continues to inspire me is how this practice changes people from the inside out. Guiding isn’t about mastering a set of techniques. It’s about being in a deep relationship with the land and allowing the forest to do the work. That’s the moment the real transformation begins.

If you’ve been feeling drawn to deepen your relationship with the natural world or to bring nature connection into your work, here are five reasons why this path might be exactly what you’re looking for.

1. You’ll Deepen Your Relationship with Nature

Forest therapy guide training isn’t just about learning techniques. It's a journey of discovery that strengthens your bond with the natural world. Many guides describe their training as life-changing, because it shifts how they see the world and their place in it.

This new way of seeing doesn’t fade when training ends. It becomes part of how you move through the world—rooted, mindful, and connected.

2. You’ll Help Others Slow Down and Heal

As a forest therapy guide, you hold a safe space for others to remember what it feels like to belong. The invitations you offer, which are simple, sensory suggestions on how to connect to nature, can help people release stress and find a sense of inner peace.

Science backs what the heart already knows. Time in the forest lowers cortisol, boosts immunity, and uplifts mood. One of my favorite things about guiding is seeing my clients’ faces visually change as their stress melts away. You’ll also witness this transformation firsthand and know that your work is making a difference.

3. You’ll Be Part of a Global Movement

Forest therapy is practiced all over the world. Certified guides form a global network of people who share a common vision: restoring the relationship between humans and the natural world.

Whether you guide walks in city parks, botanical gardens, or a national forest, you become part of a global community of people working toward collective healing—one walk at a time.

4. You Can Weave Forest Therapy Into the Work You Already Do

Many of our guides integrate this practice into their existing vocations. Therapists, healthcare providers, wellness coaches, educators, and clergy members have all brought this practice into their fields. Wherever you work, guiding offers a beautiful bridge between your professional skills and your love for nature.

5. You’ll Receive Rooted, Heart-Centered Training

At Heartwood School of Forest Therapy, our certification program blends professional skill with personal transformation. You’ll gain practical tools for guiding and a deeper understanding of how nature heals.

We teach from the understanding that the forest is your primary teacher. You’ll learn to listen, to sense, and to follow the land’s lead. Through our curriculum based in mindfulness, somatic awareness, trauma-informed facilitation, and earth-based wisdom, you’ll learn to guide with confidence while staying attuned to your own relationship with the land.

Ultimately, becoming a forest therapy guide isn’t about adding another credential. It’s about remembering who you are in relation to this Earth. You’ll learn to slow down, to listen deeply, and to guide others into rediscovering their own belonging.

If something in you lights up as you read this, maybe the forest is calling your name.

You can learn more about Heartwood’s Forest Therapy Guide Certification Program here, or reach out to us with your questions.

We’d love to walk this path with you.