Nature as Medicine Practitioner and Guide Training and Certification
Connection and partnership with nature heal us in ways that are broad and deep. The health benefits of nature range across the physical, emotional, mental health, and cognitive domains. For many, time in nature also brings deep spiritual solace and inspiration.
At this time in history, healthcare is poised to begin recognizing the profound benefits of nature.
This training and certification program, offered jointly by the Nature and Systems Institute and the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, is for any licensed healthcare provider who wishes to be on the leading edge of establishing the practice of Nature as Medicine.
You will become trained to guide participants in the art of forest bathing and develop a plan for incorporating Nature as Medicine into your personal life and clinical practice.
For more information, please contact:
Susan Abookire, BSEE MD MPH FACP
Offered in collaboration with The Associaton of Nature and Forest Therapy, and with Massachusetts General Brigham, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School
Nature Immersion will be at the YMCA of the Rockies, a beautiful camp that abuts Rocky Mountain National Park.
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Nature as Medicine Practitioner and Guide Certification
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Overview
Open to all licensed healthcare professionals
Program launches with a 3 day nature immersion in the Colorado Rocky Mountains
Six month on line training program with content, workshops, and peer groups
Bi monthly 90 minute calls facilitated by expert guides and trainers
Training and Certification as Forest Bathing Guide
Training and Certification Nature as Medicine Practitioner
Mentorship and development of your personal plan to incorporate Nature as Medicine into your clinical practice
46 hours AMA Category I CME (or equivalent) Continuing Education Credits
Access to our community of healthcare professional forest bathing guides
DATES
May 2025-October 2025
Initial Immersion May 8 - May 11, 2025
FEES
$4700 USD - Tuition and Training
Includes all training, Continuing Education and Certification, and Immersion Experience Training.
Immersion Lodging and Meals: Choose from $455, $590, or $785 for 3 nights and meals all inclusive.
Use of your organizational Continuing Education Funds, if available, is encouraged.
Does not include airfare to Denver Airport. Shuttle service is available for group rate $61/pp each way from Denver Airport to site.
For more information, please contact:
Susan Abookire, BSEE MD MPH FACP
Offered in collaboration with The Associaton of Nature and Forest Therapy, and with Massachusetts General Brigham, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School
Trainers and Program Leaders
Susan Abookire, BSEE, MD, MPH, FACP, is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and a senior executive with 22 years’ experience leading healthcare organizations. She has served as Chief Medical Officer, System Chief Quality Officer, and Department Chair of the Department of Quality and Patient Safety at Mount Auburn, a Harvard hospital, where she founded and led the award-winning quality and patient safety program. Dr. Abookire began her professional career as an electrical engineer in aviation systems design and brings a keen understanding of systems thinking and design to her work improving healthcare for everyone.
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Abookire trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and practices Internal Medicine. She received a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and teaches nationally and internationally. Certified as a Forest Therapy Guide, Dr. Abookire offers nature-inspired individual coaching, group coaching, leadership development, training and retreats to healthcare professionals. Her programs help professionals and patients by delivering tools for lifelong physical, mental, and cognitive wellbeing.
Ronna Schneberger has been a professional award winning naturalist and hiking guide in the Canadian Mountain Parks for 30 years. She is a yoga teacher of 20 years and in the last decade incorporated yoga, meditation, and coaching in nature. The results were profound. In her quest to understand why time in nature easily creates powerful experiences, she stumbled upon the ANFT in 2016 and took their Forest Therapy Guide training and loved it; she was one of the first guides in Canada. Ronna is a senior trainer for the ANFT. She applies this method with private clients, groups and in leadership development programs using nature as the teacher to create powerful reflections and transformation. She is the Chair of the Nature and Forest Therapy of Canada, along with her team; she looks forward to promoting guided Forest Therapy in Canada.
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Nature as Medicine Practitioner Certification
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Details and FAQ’s
Rocky Mountain Immersion Details
Plan to arrive by 6pm Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Time from Denver Airport to YMCA of the Rockies is approximately 1.5 hours.
When you have flights arranged, contact organizer if you are interested in group shuttle times.
We will depart YMCA of the Rockies between 10:00 and 11:00 am Sunday May 11, 2025.
Meals will be prepared by an Arurvedic Chef. If you are interested in helping with meal prep, please contact organizer.
On Line Course Details
First online Session Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00-9:30 pm ET
Online Sessions will be 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month June - October 2025
Sessions will be recorded
Participants must attend 80% of sessions live, due to ongoing peer to peer and facilitated discussions
LODGING
Nature Immersion will be at the YMCA of the Rockies, a beautiful camp that abuts Rocky Mountain National Park.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the literature and evidence for the clinical benefits of nature related to their specific specialty.
2. Demonstrate competence in describing how nature can be applied to their clinical practice.
3. Interpret the scientific literature in ways that predict how nature can be beneficial to their individual clients.
4. Demonstrate competence in the practice of guide forest bating, in the standard sequence.
5. Demonstrate competence in creating new invitations for forest bathing that opens doors to their individual clients’ needs.
6. Exemplify & model behavior that holds space for participants to discover their own insights & benefits.
7. Identify the interactions between the psychological, physical & spiritual nature of health benefits in nature.
8. Document a specific plan to incorporate nature as medicine into their clinical practice, including various healthcare professions across their team.
Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Mass General Brigham and Nature & Systems Institute. Mass General Brigham is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team
Credit Designation Statements
AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM
Mass General Brigham designates this live activity for a maximum of 46.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Psychologists
46.00 Continuing Education (CE) credits are awarded
Physician Assistants
Mass General Brigham has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 46.00 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
Social Work
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Mass General Brigham is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Mass General Brigham maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 46.00 continuing education credit.