Forest Therapy Guide Certification Training Retreat
June 4 - June 8, 2025
Highlands, North Carolina
Forest Therapy Guide Certification Training Retreat
The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center
Highlands, North Carolina
in the Blue Ridge Mountains, high above the Nantahala National Forest
Wednesday, June 4 through Sunday, June 8, 2025
Your retreat experience includes:
The Forest Therapy Guide Certification Program
A 6-week mentored practicum
4 nights accommodations
All fresh and healthy meals
Gentle yoga
Campfire circle
Nature trails
Labryinth
Farm tour
Stargazing
Lifetime access to our program’s course content upon certification
The Location
High atop the Blue Ridge Mountains in the resort town of Highlands, North Carolina is a beautiful and rustic array of cabins, dining hall, labyrinth, fire tower, and so much more! The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center is perched on a 4,200 foot high granite cliff on the Eastern Continental Divide in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The quiet remote location, year round temperate weather, stunning vistas, proximity to pristine national forest, and the clear night sky, lends The Mountain an atmosphere with the quality of unmatched clearness and levity.
Additionally, the retreat center is home to the Many Hands Peace Farm, an educational farm dedicated to teaching the community about regenerative agriculture. The farm contributes to The Mountain’s overall environmental sustainability, producing food, mushrooms, flowers, and herbs for use in the kitchen and dining hall.
Founded in 1979 by Unitarian Universalists, The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center's mission is to enrich lives, foster an appreciation of the natural world, honor the interconnectedness of all things, and inspire people to build inclusive, meaningful, sustainable communities throughout their lives.
The Mountain From a Bird’s Eye View…
The Curriculum
Whether you are taking this training for personal growth or to share the life-changing benefits of forest therapy with others, the curriculum is thoughtfully designed to give you a deeper understanding of the emerging field of forest therapy. You’ll walk away with the skills and confidence to guide participants in meaningful and restorative forest bathing experiences.
Over the course of this 4-night retreat, you will learn:
What it means to be a forest therapy guide
The history of forest therapy and forest bathing
The holistic benefits of the practice along with the science to back it up
Mindfulness in nature and embodiment practices
How to offer guided nature meditations
The importance of the senses in connecting to nature and ourselves
A reliable and trusted walk sequence for guiding your clients
How to craft nature-based invitations for client engagement
How to personally style a forest bathing walk
Group facilitation and effective communication skills
The psycho-spiritual dimension of the human-nature connection
Following the in-person training, you will enter into a 6-week mentored practicum where you will participate in weekly Zoom meet-ups, complete assignments, guide 2 forest therapy walks and receive 2 small group mentor calls.
The weekly meet-ups will be held on Tuesdays (June 10 - July 15) at 7:00 pm—8:15 pm ET. The meetups are recorded, so if you have to miss one, you can watch the recording. Graduation will be held on Tuesday, July 15 at 7:00 pm–7:45 pm ET.
Join like-hearted people committed to reconnecting humans to nature.
The Details
The Forest Therapy Guide Certification Program at The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center
Arrive: Wednesday, June 4 between 3:00 pm–4:00 pm ET
Depart: Sunday, June 8 by 10:00 am ET
Your retreat experience includes:
The Forest Therapy Guide Certification Program
4 nights accommodations
All fresh and healthy meals
Gentle yoga
Campfire circle
Nature trails
Labryinth
Farm tour
Stargazing
Lifetime access to our program’s course content upon certification
Your Investment:
Option 1:
Private Room
$3485 USD
(includes program, practicum, 4 nights accommodations, and all meals)
The private room is simple, clean and furnished with a comfortable twin bed. All linens—sheets, blankets, towels, and a pillow—are provided. The room has a private bathroom and shower as well as plenty of storage space and an individually-controlled thermostat.
Meals include regionally grown produce, and seasonally produce comes from the retreat center's farm. Though the kitchen supplements the farm's produce, eggs and animal products to meet guests’ needs, the aim is to use local and humane purveyors where possible. Standard breakfast menu includes options such as morning eggs and sausage as well as veggie patties and tofu scramble, fresh fruit, dry cereal, grits and oatmeal. The salad bar is well stocked for lunch and dinner. Evening meals include meat and vegetarian main entrées and a selection of vegetables and whole grains or root vegetables. Upon prior request, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals are available.
$500 non-refundable deposit required upon registration
Registration deadline: May 1, 2025
Early Birds - Enroll before March 15th and save $150 on tuition.
Option 2:
Shared Room
$3175 USD
(includes program, practicum, 4 nights accommodations, and all meals)
The shared room is simple, clean and furnished with comfortable twin beds. All linens—sheets, blankets, towels, and a pillow—are provided. The room has a private bathroom and shower as well as plenty of storage space and an individually-controlled thermostat. Shared rooms are available for up to 3 people.
Meals include regionally grown produce, and seasonally produce comes from the retreat center's farm. Though the kitchen supplements the farm's produce, eggs and animal products to meet guests’ needs, the aim is to use local and humane purveyors where possible. Standard breakfast menu includes options such as morning eggs and sausage as well as veggie patties and tofu scramble, fresh fruit, dry cereal, grits and oatmeal. The salad bar is well stocked for lunch and dinner. Evening meals include meat and vegetarian main entrées and a selection of vegetables and whole grains or root vegetables. Upon prior request, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals are available.
$500 non-refundable deposit required upon registration
Registration deadline: May 1, 2025
Early Birds - Enroll before March 15th and save $150 on tuition.
Program Terms and Cancellations:
Tuition Payment Schedule:
A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due upon registration
50% of the remaining tuition will be due on April 1, 2025
Final tuition balance will be due on May 1, 2025
Prior to tuition due dates, you will receive an invoice via email. Failure to make a payment may result in a forfeiture of your booking.
Our in-person training retreat cancellation policy:
All deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. No exceptions. If the retreat is cancelled by The Forest Therapy School for any reason, the deposit is fully refundable.
Cancellations made 46 days or more prior to retreat start date: The deposit is non-refundable. All payments (minus the deposit and payment processing fees) are not refundable, but are transferable to a future training retreat held within one year. Travel insurance is highly recommended.
Cancellations made 45 days or less prior to retreat start date: All payments are non-refundable or non-transferable. No exceptions. Travel insurance is highly recommended.
Unforeseen Circumstances: There will be no refunds nor discounts for arriving late, leaving early, flight cancellations, travel delays, injury, or illness prior to and/or during the retreat.
Travel Insurance: For additional protection of your retreat investment, it is highly recommended that all participants purchase travel insurance at the time of booking the retreat. Travel Insurance is an optional purchase that covers your investment with The Forest Therapy School for any unforeseen events that may arise before or during your trip. If you opt to pass on the added insurance, your investment is bound by the cancellation policy of The Forest Therapy School as outlined above. Travel insurance is available through companies like Travel Safe, Insuremytrip, Travel Guard or other options listed here.
We offer 27 CE credits through the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching.
(NBHWC Approved Course CE Number: CEA-000003-1)
Getting Here
Please Note: Transportation is not included in the cost of the retreat.
By Car:
Highlands, North Carolina is:
2 hours from Greenville, SC
2 hours from Asheville, NC
2.5 hours from Knoxville, TN
3 hours from Atlanta, GA
3.5 hours from Charlotte, NC
3.5 hours from Chattanooga, TN
By Air:
The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center is located near:
Asheville Regional Airport (2 hours)
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (2 hours)
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (3 hours)
“Taking part in the Forest Therapy Certification retreat was a truly special and joyful experience. I can say with all honesty that I am a changed person. I am a mindfulness mediation teacher who already practices in nature quite a lot, yet there was still a shift that took place in me. The learning and guidance I received allowed me to drop deeper into the practices of sensing and being which in turn brought about greater awareness and wisdom. The training has invited me to be connected to nature in a deeper and more heart-felt way. It feels like a gift that I can now offer to others, to nature, and to myself and I am very grateful.”
— Jen Rodrigues, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher