Shinrin-Yoku
Guide Training

Our position comes from studying Japanese scientific literature, the history of forest-based wellbeing practice and contemporary professional standards. We regard Shinrin-Yoku (森林浴), Shinrin Therapy (森林セラピー), forest therapy and forest medicine as terms that developed within a closely related field rather than as proof of entirely separate methods. Some institutions use them differently, and those differences should still be understood in their own contexts.

Interest in the health-related properties of forests predates the Japanese term Shinrin-Yoku, introduced in 1982. Earlier work by B. P. Tokin on phytoncides contributed to research about biologically active substances released by plants. Some earlier literature on phytoncides also circulated in Japanese translation during the emerging Japanese public-health interest in forests. Over time, Japanese initiatives, experimental research and international literature introduced additional expressions and ways of describing forest environments and human wellbeing. The word serapī (セラピー) in Shinrin Therapy is a katakana borrowing of the English word “therapy”; by itself it does not establish a separate clinical discipline.

In our interpretation, Japanese usage does not consistently support the rigid division sometimes taught elsewhere between a “forest bathing guide” and a “forest therapy guide”. The Japanese titles 森林セラピーガイド (Forest Therapy Guide) and 森林セラピーセラピスト (Forest Therapy Therapist) belong to specific certification contexts, not universally separate systems of forest facilitation.

The important distinction is between facilitating a nature-based wellbeing experience and providing clinical treatment. A forest can offer a supportive environment, but a guide is not qualified to diagnose or deliver psychotherapy simply by using the word “therapy”. What matters most is methodology, participant safety, emotional and physical risk assessment, ethics and practical competence.

Our curriculum integrates Russian and Japanese historical perspectives, current nature connectedness research, reflective learning and the TMT® Scaffolded Model of Engagement to prepare guides who can design and facilitate sessions thoughtfully. Read more in the book Your Guide to Becoming a Forest Therapy Guide ↗

The Mindful Tourist — 森の心・人の心 (Mori no Kokoro, Hito no Kokoro, “The Heart of the Forest, the Heart of the Human”) is an international educational organisation founded in Japan. Our work is dedicated to Shinrin-Yoku, forest-based experiences, nature connectedness and thoughtful professional education.

Our founder, Milena A. Guziak, has been teaching online guide training for more than six years and organising immersive programmes in Japan for the past four years. She spent almost a decade living and working in Japan, researching Japanese writing on Shinrin-Yoku history, Shintō perspectives and cultural relationships with the natural world. She subsequently pursued a master’s degree in psychology at the University of Derby, specialising in Nature Connectedness; this informs the integration of cultural and scientific perspectives.

Milena also founded the Shinrin Yoku Association (SYA) to encourage shared standards of professional education, ethical conduct and ongoing development among guides internationally. The current course expands the science- and research-informed material, introduces applied ethics, the wellbeing of guides and forests, Degrees of Freedom in invitations, and carefully documented practical assessments.

We are interested not simply in issuing certificates, but in supporting guides who can contribute responsibly to the wellbeing of people and the places they visit.

In the Japanese contexts in which these titles are used, 森林セラピーガイド (Forest Therapy Guide) and 森林セラピーセラピスト (Forest Therapy Therapist) can indicate different levels of preparation or roles within a specific organisation. The names themselves do not establish two fundamentally different forest-experience methods, nor do they confer universal healthcare credentials.

In particular, the word therapist in a programme title should not be confused with the regulated role of a psychologist, psychotherapist or medical practitioner. A suitably qualified clinician may work outdoors, including in forests, but it is that professional’s independent training and legal scope of practice—not the location—that determines whether they are providing clinical care.

A Shinrin-Yoku Guide is a facilitator and steward. The guide selects suitable sites, plans routes, manages risks, explains informed consent, offers invitations, supports respectful group processes and allows participants the freedom to relate to nature in their own way. The guide does not prescribe healing, force emotional disclosure or provide clinical diagnosis.

We welcome trainees from a wide range of backgrounds. The essential conditions are a growing relationship with nature, methodological preparation, ethical awareness, safety competence and the ability to conduct thoughtful and inclusive guided sessions.

No. SYGT TMT® prepares people to guide nature-based wellbeing sessions. It does not qualify graduates to diagnose or treat medical or psychological conditions, administer medicines or provide psychotherapy. People already holding regulated healthcare qualifications may incorporate nature-based work within the scope permitted by their own profession and local laws.

The updated programme includes 12 months of platform access to video lessons, presentations, downloadable reading material, invitations and practical exercises; access to an international SYA guide community; discussion opportunities and continuing online community meetings; and a practical toolkit with 15 invitations, sample session protocols, reflection cards and session-related resources.

Certification involves ten independently facilitated sessions, self-evaluation, documented preparation and the final check-out. The course offers module review conversations and a consultation before the practice module, with scheduling and instructor contact varying by pathway. Successful graduates receive Shinrin-Yoku Guide certification in English and Japanese, under the SYA educational and ethical framework.

The updated programme describes lifetime SYA membership after successful certification. Please check the precise membership terms in the enrolment offer, since older course listings refer to annual membership. The self-paced, mentor-assisted and Japan immersion options do not include identical meeting schedules or location-specific benefits.

Complete the core learning and required module submissions, take part in the review and pre-practice consultations specified by your pathway, develop your own session protocols and invitations, and facilitate 10 practice sessions of at least two hours each: 5 individual and 5 group.

Each guided session requires advance planning and a fresh site risk assessment, appropriate registration and informed consent, the applicable session records, and post-session self-evaluation using the SYA Assessment Markers. Complete the final evaluation and check-out after your practical documentation is reviewed. The course includes examples of three full protocols, 15 invitations and five forest meditations to support learning.

The full certification process must be completed within 12 months from enrolment, unless an extension has been granted.

Weeks 1–10 generally follow a repeated learning rhythm: weekly requirements; videos and readings; a topic-specific invitation; preparation for solo forest practice; reflective prompts; and any designated submissions. This gives you a stable structure while allowing your own observations to deepen over time.

Weeks 11–15 concentrate on orientation, practical documents, session design and the first four required guided practices. At the end of Modules 1 and 2 you submit specified work and meet your instructor. An additional consultation prepares you for the fieldwork module. The final check-out follows completion of all requirements.

The journal is an invitation to record what you notice: personal insights, questions, changing feelings, encounters with nature and emerging understanding of the guide’s role. Use a paper notebook or digital file. You are not required to respond to every weekly prompt.

Your private journal is different from formal coursework. When a module requires a reflection or submission, that requirement is clearly indicated, and it must be completed for assessment.

You will need a stable internet connection, a computer or tablet, a relatively quiet study space, a journal or note-taking method, and regular access to a forest, park, garden or other suitable outdoor environment for personal observation. You also need time and dedication to study and to organise real practical sessions.

You do not need to purchase an expensive kit to get started. For guiding sessions, however, the site, participants and local regulations will determine the appropriate safety equipment and preparedness.

The course provides access to an international community and discussion opportunities. The published self-paced offer describes direct feedback on assignments and a check-out after completion; mentor-assisted training has additional scheduled instructor meetings. Your updated training description also includes module review sessions and a pre-practice consultation. Confirm the precise meeting arrangement for the pathway in which you enrol.

Pathway 1 is self-paced online learning, with independent scheduling and specified review and assessment support. Pathway 2 adds structured mentoring, online meetings and a more guided pace. Pathway 3 combines online study with five days of experiential immersion in Japan; the published programme describes a minimum of three guided practices during the stay.

All pathways work toward the same core guiding responsibility, but price, mentoring availability, location, dates, practice arrangements and included services differ. See the linked course descriptions before enrolling.

You must conduct 10 sessions lasting at least two hours each: 5 with one participant and 5 with a group of more than one participant. Individual sessions develop attunement and personalised facilitation. Group sessions help you practise inclusive guidance, group pacing and dynamics, and support for shared experience.

The third module sets out the first four sessions in Weeks 12–15. You can organise the remaining six when ready, as long as the full requirements and documentation are completed within the allowed certification period.

Begin with friends, family and colleagues, then consider community groups, wellness centres, appropriate senior programmes, hiking or nature organisations, volunteer initiatives, local events, social media and word of mouth. Partnerships with aligned professionals can also help you find interested participants.

Always explain that the session is part of your guide training and invite participation without pressure. Use proper registration and informed consent, make no inappropriate health claims, and design the experience around participants’ needs and the chosen environment.

Yes—even when you return to the same forest or route. Weather, fallen branches, mud, vegetation, wildlife, maintenance work, visitor traffic, air quality, water levels or fire risk can change between sessions. You must consider the site as it exists on the day of your activity.

Your review should cover physical and emotional risks, communications, access, allergies and participant readiness, route alternatives and emergency plans, local permissions and a final decision on whether it is safe to proceed. Open the risk assessment form ↗

It documents your intentions and makes your design accountable. You record the group, location, accessibility, theme, route and timing, key stops, invitations and Degrees of Freedom, alternative routes and contingencies. It lets your instructor assess whether the pace, progression and group context make sense before reviewing the lived session.

After guiding, you can record adjustments and discoveries. This connects safety, pedagogy and reflective improvement. Open the session planning form ↗

These are structured self-evaluation criteria that support reflection on what happened during a session and on your developing guiding competence. Complete them after each practical session and use them in dialogue with your instructor. They are not intended as a participant handout.

Your instructor may seek feedback directly from participants, but their contact details must be shared only after they have given specific permission for that purpose, with privacy appropriately protected. Open the SYA Assessment Markers ↗

The programme encourages regular direct relationship with forests while also addressing urban Shinrin-Yoku and different forms of nature connection. Select a site that offers a suitable nature-based experience and meets the educational, practical, safety and accessibility requirements of your particular session. Check with your instructor before using a setting where the fit with the required assessment is uncertain.

You have 12 months from the date of enrolment to complete the entire certification process, including all practical Shinrin-Yoku sessions, required documents and final assessment. For important personal reasons, an extension may be possible, subject to the current fee and written conditions.

Although the taught curriculum is organised into 15 weeks, that is not a guarantee that all ten guided practice sessions must be finished in fifteen consecutive weeks. The twelve-month certification window gives room for preparation, scheduling participants and applying feedback.

Training continues beyond access to videos and reading. During the practical phase the training team reviews session plans and documentation, provides methodological or academic feedback, assesses progress and administers the certification process. Extending the period therefore requires further time and professional support.

The twelve-month completion framework also encourages steady progress. Over the years, we observed that when there was no clear deadline, approximately half of enrolled trainees did not complete the programme. A realistic completion period helps us support people towards active, competent practice rather than indefinite access without qualification.

We recognise that circumstances change. If you need additional time, please contact the training team before your access expires. The fee and duration of any extension follow the current policy and should be confirmed in writing.

We believe a capable guide needs time to develop more than knowledge of a few forest activities. Responsible guiding combines scientific understanding, an authentic nature relationship, applied ethics, participant-centred facilitation, risk awareness, protocol design and the ability to reflect on real experience.

The first two modules provide ten weeks of taught foundations. The next five weeks introduce fieldwork and the first four supervised or reviewed practice submissions. Completing ten real sessions often takes several additional months; at about two sessions a month, fieldwork alone can take roughly five months.

A few days of inspiring immersion may be valuable, but on their own they may not prepare someone to design safe, professional sessions independently. Each trainee studies the materials, spends time alone in nature, develops invitations and protocols, prepares forms, assesses hazards and responds to feedback.

Our aim is not a quick title or a fixed script. It is to help you become a thoughtful, responsible and active guide whose practice supports the wellbeing of people and forests.

The core certification presented on this page spans 15 weeks. Additional professional development or IKIGAI coursework may be offered separately and is not automatically included in every pathway. Check the current course offer for pricing and inclusion.

Visit the official course catalogue ↗ or open your chosen pathway above. Fees, consultation schedules and Japan immersion dates can change; only the current enrolment offer and terms are authoritative.