Your Path to Forest Therapy Guide Certification

Your Path to Forest Therapy Guide Certification

Guide transformative experiences in nature while deepening your own embodied connection with the Earth.

Discover Forest Therapy Certification with Heartwood

A woman forest bathing on a forested trail with dense foliage, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, pink shirt, khaki skirt, sneakers, and carrying a purple shoulder bag.

Our immersive program is designed to empower you with the skills, confidence, and embodied wisdom to guide others into healing and belonging, in partnership with the natural world. Along the way, you’ll deepen your own connection with the Earth—because the most powerful guides are those who have walked the path themselves.

The Four Pillars of Heartwood Training

  • A detailed illustration of a brown bird with black spots on its chest, standing in a nest, holding a small twig in its beak, surrounded by green leaves and branches.

    Mindfulness

    Learn to cultivate presence and inner stillness. You’ll develop the clarity and grounded awareness that allows you to lead from a place of authenticity, helping others feel safe and at ease.

  • A woman with long brown hair sitting outdoors on grass near a stream, surrounded by green plants, with leaves blowing in the wind.

    Somatic Awareness

    Discover the body as your compass. Through somatic practices, you’ll deepen your attunement and learn to guide with embodied wisdom, helping participants connect not only with nature but with their own inner landscapes.

  • A digital illustration of a sunrise or sunset with clouds and sun rays emanating from a bright sun on the horizon.

    Trauma-Informed Facilitation

    Gain the tools to create safe, inclusive spaces where true healing can unfold. You’ll learn how to hold diverse groups with sensitivity and care, ensuring your work supports belonging and trust.

  • Illustration of a spiral arrangement of green leaves on a sandy and watery background.

    Earth-Based Wisdom

    Root your practice in seasonal rhythms and ancient traditions. By honoring the Earth as a wise partner, you’ll foster reciprocal care and guide others into a relationship of reverence and kinship with the living world.

The Role of a Certified Forest Therapy Guide

Group of people forest bathing on a trail through a wooded forest, led by an experienced forest therapy guide.

A Forest Therapy Guide is more than a facilitator. You are a space-holder, a bridge between people and the more-than-human world, and a steward of Earth’s teachings. In this role, you will:

  • Craft sensory invitations that open the door to connection.

  • Hold safe, inclusive space with compassion and integrity.

  • Witness the healing that unfolds when people rediscover their belonging to the Earth.

This is a path of meaningful impact. Unlike clinical therapy, it centers on well-being, connection, and personal insight, offering people a way back to themselves and the living world around them.

Forge Your Path:
Online or On Retreat

Online Forest Therapy Certification

12 weeks of immersive learning with live sessions, self-paced study, and guided mentorship. Learn from home while weaving training into the natural rhythm of your daily life.

Open window looking out onto a forest with two deer standing among trees and greenery.

Both of our certification pathways lead to the same respected credential. The difference lies in how you want to experience the journey.

View Online Program Details

Retreat Forest Therapy Certification

Begin your journey on the land. This 4-night immersion, followed by at-home practicum, supports your growth through hands-on learning, community practice, and mentorship.

A detailed watercolor illustration of a backpack and a small bag among green ferns and rocks in a forest setting.
View Retreat Dates & Details

What Our Graduates Say

  • The curriculum was absolutely fantastic. It was tailored with so much thought, care, and purpose, and I was completely enamored with its beautiful presentation. It invited me to want to learn! I entered the training thinking that it would be good... I left knowing that it was GREAT.

    — Aimee Taylor, LCSW

  • I had the privilege of working with Kathleen McIntyre recently, and I can’t shout her praises from enough mountaintops! She held the space with such integrity and reverence—no agenda, no interpretation—just a deep, grounded presence that allowed something truly sacred to unfold. Kathleen weaves natural elements, ritual, and embodied healing together in a way that feels ancient and profoundly alive.  Her methods connect deeply meaningful individual soul work to align with anima mundi—the soul of the world.

    — Samantha Leonard, CIAYT

  • Julie is a faithful practitioner of everything she teaches and it shows. Her years of guiding experience coupled with her expertise in teaching these skills to others inspires me to be my best and to inhabit my own voice. Julie embodies both a gentle and fierce spirit which is essential for guiding anyone to do their best and the curriculum is clearly written and easy to follow. She's curious about my own relationship to the forest and weaves my experience into everything she teaches. Trusting her program is the first step in trusting yourself to become the guide you want to be.

    — Meredith Candler

  • Working with Kathleen is a joy, a privilege and a life-changing experience.

    — Mark Rovner

  • I’m so glad I took the training to become a Forest Therapy Guide. Julie is an excellent leader that makes herself available to her students. I appreciated her extensive knowledge, creativity, and inspiring energy. My classmates and I had several questions throughout the course. I felt that Julie had great insight and was always very encouraging. The course information itself was very well put together and informative. It was packed with a lot of resources and topics to dive into deeper. I feel that I learned so much and made great friends during my training.

    — Chelsea McGauvran, NBC-HWC

  • What a joy it was to witness you in action, to learn from and be motivated by your gorgeous commitment to heralding the trees and heartening human's engagement with our fantastic forests. Thank you for supporting and inspiring me to help more people connect with the roots and trunks in their own backyards.

    — Julie B.

  • To be in the presence of Kathleen is to be in the presence of passion, acceptance, love & exquisite knowledge. She will meet you where you are, listen deeply to where you desire to guide yourself, and give you powerful and practical tools to get yourself there and beyond.

    — Brooks Hailsip

  • I completed the online course and it was truly a transformative experience. You provided invaluable guidance that went far beyond the curriculum. At the time, I was still uncertain whether to start my own business. Thanks to your mentorship and encouragement, I gained the clarity and confidence to launch my own outdoor adventure business. Since graduating, I’ve established and grown my business in Mauritius, where I now lead a team of five, offering forest therapy walks and guided hiking tours across the island.

    — Jenny Yip

Still Have Questions?
Let’s Connect.

The decision to begin this journey is a significant one. If you have questions about which pathway is right for you, we invite you to schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call. We’re here to help you find your way.

Book Your Free Discovery Call