The Role of a Forest Bathing Guide

The role of a Forest Bathing Guide is hugely varied. It is a top reason why I love my work – my friends call me ‘The Sampler’ as I like trying lots and lots of new things 🙂

It is a real honour to see the impact of my guidance on individuals. Also, it is a privilege to guide amongst nature, knowing I am part of something positive, sustainable and revolutionary. 

Read on to learn more about what I see is the role of a Forest Bathing Guide, and to see if the range of responsibilities resonate with you. Perhaps they make you feel excited to become a certified Forest Therapy Guide too…!

Understanding the Role of a Forest Bathing Guide

The role and responsibilities of a Forest Bathing Guide are really diverse.

There are really practical elements like organising the location, taking bookings, structuring the sessions, explaining the invitations, etc.

There are also health and safety elements, ensuring everyone is safe and feels safe too, creating and holding the ’emotional and energetic container’ in which the healing can happen, as well as being compliant with the legal and ethical requirements we have to abide by.

Then, there are the more personal qualities, including confidence to guide, as well as having an awareness of individual needs and agility to adapt a session depending on different characters, weather changes or other unknowns!

In addition, you have a responsibility to yourself, as well as others, in your role as a Forest Bathing Guide, to your own well-being and needs.

And of course, you have a responsibility to the land and environment in which you run your sessions – protecting nature, showing them how to connect deeply, perhaps even some education about it.

Creating a Safe and Immersive Forest Bathing Experience

Part of the wonder of a Forest Bathing Session is helping people to truly step away from the everyday drudge of responsibility and the to-do list and to have an immersive experience.

The first step to ensuring this is to know that you have done everything in your power to ensure clients feel safe. This will involve extensive surveying of where your sessions will be run and doing required risk assessments and management procedures. 

You are also then responsible for nurturing a welcoming and inclusive environment. For many, Forest Bathing may be brand new. Some people will feel nervous; most people come alone and feel anxious. Some participants may even be cynical and may not even want to really be there (think corporate team building!)

However, it is our role to find a way to accommodate all of these individuals and their different views, to the best of our ability.

Facilitating a Deeper Connection With Nature

I truly believe that we act as guardians of our natural world. And one of my passions is that I offer more people the chance to build a deep connection with nature. It offers them nourishment. For many, just one session can be a transformative experience that leads them to a new worldview.

In addition, we know that climate anxiety can be overwhelming. However, by becoming a Forest Bathing Guide, you go to sleep at night knowing you are doing something tangible to change the failing human:nature relationship.

You get to become a changemaker working in service to the land – your business is supporting the natural world and, in turn, it supports you too. Yes, there’s nothing wrong with doing good work and being fairly remunerated for it. 

Offering a Therapeutic Experience

When you are training as a Forest Bathing Guide with Adore Your Outdoors, we don’t make the distinction between training in ‘Forest Bathing’ versus training in ‘Forest Therapy’. I use my background in counselling as well my training with the Global Institute of Forest Therapy to tutor my trainees in an array of therapeutic approaches. Funnily enough, becoming comfortable with silence is a big part of it. 

I believe that therapy and healing should be part of all Forest Bathing experiences. It is always about maximising potential for healing. This is why my training is purposefully comprehensive. We go deep! But the guide isn’t the therapist in the traditional sense, the guide acts like a bridge between the natural world and the participant, helping them to connect and experience whatever is appropriate for them. 

To bring participants into a space where this is possible, we offer a variety of invitations and a chance for guided meditation, mindfulness, sensory awareness and grounding techniques, for example. 

Providing Expert Guidance is a key element of the role of a Forest Bathing Guide

Forest Bathing is often run as a group session. However, one of the most important roles as a Forest Bathing Guide is being able to offer expert guidance and a variety of options, which allows individuals to get the most out of their own experiences. You may need to tweak some of your plans as you go along. You may need to offer examples or extra support to help some people.

Building Trust and Acting Ethically

It is important that your clients trust you. You want them to trust in your abilities and experiences, as well as your knowledge. This often comes through effective communication and utmost respect. Sharing your own experiences and your own journey can be really helpful too.

In addition, you should act ethically. This includes considerations around client privacy and confidentiality. Forest Bathing can cause some quite emotional responses. The therapeutic effect can be strong and even overwhelming. Part of your role (and your training) will be to know how best to manage this. 

In addition, we also have ethical responsibilities around environmental stewardship, the locations we work in and the messages we share with participants.

Committing to Always Learning and Growing

One of the most important roles as a Forest Bathing Guide is dedicating yourself to your own continuing education and professional development.

Even after my many years of experience, I believe my training as a Forest Bathing Practitioner is never ‘completed’. I value what I can learn from each person who attends my sessions, as well as fellow guides and professionals.

I also continue to adapt my practices from my own personal growth. This is what the role of a Forest Bathing Guide and consistently working in nature provides.

Spreading the Nature Nerd Word

The Best Bit of the Role of a Forest Bathing Guide!

Finally, all of us have the responsibility to inspire others to experience the benefits of Forest Bathing.  Evidence shows you’ll be empowering them to become conscious stewards of our precious planet Earth. So, it’s a wonderful reason to do so.

Not everyone that sees what we do may book to attend a session, but that doesn’t mean we don’t continue to share our experiences and to shout about the values that Forest Bathing Therapy offers. 

As part of this, we must also continue to advocate for the inclusion of Forest Bathing as preventative medicine and green social prescriptions in healthcare, mental health provision and also in corporate wellness programmes. 

It is up to us to truly lead the Forest Bathing Revolution.

Want to be a part of it? Sign up today! 

Find out more here: https://adoreyouroutdoors.co.uk/forestbathingguidetraining/