How we at Naturally Resilient think about the evolution of this work and why we provide Dual Certification
Author: Karen Laine
I’ve been guiding, mentoring and teaching in the Forest Therapy tradition since early in its introduction to Canada, and have seen the growth of that professional landscape.
As this new and growing profession is evolving there is a big pull in my heart to broaden the discussion around nature connection work and its potential for supporting personal resilience beyond the traditional way we thought of forest therapy.
I thought it might be helpful to share why we at Naturally Resilient began training for DUAL Certification as Nature Connection Facilitators, and Forest Therapy Guides.
Forest Therapy Guides traditionally guide participants through a 3 hour signature sequence that invites participants to slow down to the present moment, engage playfully through their senses and eventually deepen into connection with themselves and the world around them. It sounds simple, but it can be powerful work. Many of us have never had the opportunity to meet that quiet place within, and it’s where the magic is.
A Nature Connection Facilitator understands those same processes and scientific benefits, and develops programs to provide both the experience of deep nature connection and the ongoing support of a personal practice or other experience that build life skills and personal resilience, ….along with a lifetime of deepening connection. We teach and develop the skills of a facilitator to support an experience of embodied connection, sensory engagement and over time the ability to listen to our own highest wisdom, and the wisdom of the world around us. We learn how to adapt that knowledge and skill set to integrate nature connection work into the work you may already be doing.
As a community we often found resistance from potential clients, and the medical community around the use of the word ‘therapy’ in forest therapy. In this work we say ‘the forest is the therapist’, and we are the ‘guides’, but it has always been a bit of a challenge to overcome the resistance to that language.
It was alive in me that the traditional forest therapy walk introduced us to the state of embodied connection, but the benefits to those who received continued support and training included an experience of deeper levels of personal resilience. Deepening into a continued practice was key to realizing the neurological benefits of consistency and supporting a contemplative practice in addition to the mindfulness practices invited opportunities for insight and support in all areas of life.
The benefits of this work to our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual selves was implied but rarely did we have time to talk about it in a traditional 3 hour forest therapy walk. Being able to broaden the conversation, and to develop structures and deliver programs beyond the 3 hour format, - as retreats, ongoing programs, a set of life skills, a personal practice, - all this provides a landscape to facilitate healing and growth and what we call Natural Resilience.
In the past, our ‘forest therapy’ graduates often found it difficult to build a sustainable business model with their new skills and we wanted to show a broader reach and potential for this work. We also wanted a platform to lift each other up, feel connected in community, provide employment opportunities, and provide an opportunity for professional growth.
We noticed that the most successful graduates were integrating their skills into their work as clinical therapists, social workers, community support workers, nature guides etc and wanted to also provide specifically directed training to inspire and support those professionals.
It is also in our heart to contribute to the body of work and research that might influence green prescribing and an understanding of the benefits of mindfulness in nature for our own health, the public health care budget and the care of the planet that sustains us.
Perhaps this also resonates with you? We would love for you to join our growing community of facilitators and guides!