In-person immersion starts in --days --hours --minutes --seconds
Thailand  ·  Koh Phra Thong  ·  November 16, 2026 – April 8, 2027

Become a Certified Forest Therapy Guide

Rooted in nature. Grounded in science. Designed to transform lives, starting with your own.

Begin with a 7-day in-person training at Baba Ecolodge on Koh Phra Thong, Thailand, then continue with 4 months of online integration. The same full ANFT certification, designed for those who value hands-on immersion from the start. Cohort 177 is led by Youmin Yap and Amanda Yik.

BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY → Not sure yet? Talk to a trainer first →
✓ Thousands of guides trained ✓ Countries reached ✓ Transparent enrollment & refund policy
10+years training guides
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1000sguides trained
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Relational Forest Therapy™ pioneers

A Growing Disconnection from Nature and Ourselves

Modern life moves fast. Screens replace presence. Stress becomes the norm.

Many people feel a quiet but persistent sense of disconnection: from nature, from others, and from themselves.

At ANFT, we believe this disconnection is not just personal, it's collective. And it can be healed.

What Forest Therapy Offers

Forest therapy is a guided, relational practice that restores connection between people, place, and the living world around them. As a certified guide, you'll learn how to create spaces where transformation can unfold naturally.

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Embodied Presence

Cultivate deep sensory awareness and learn to facilitate slow, attentive experiences in natural settings.

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Nature Connection

Develop facilitation skills that foster meaningful relationships between people and the living world.

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Stress Reduction

Guide evidence-based practices shown to lower cortisol, blood pressure, and anxiety through nature immersion.

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Personal Transformation

Experience profound shifts in how you relate to yourself, others, and the more-than-human world.

Why Train with ANFT

ANFT pioneered Relational Forest Therapy™ and has been training Forest Therapy guides for over a decade. The work of each guide we train sends positive ripples into their communities and landscapes.

  • Science-informed, practice-based methodology
  • A global community of thousands of certified guides
  • Deeply relational approach rooted in respect for place
  • A curriculum designed for real-world application

A Comprehensive, Practice-Based Curriculum

7-day in-person training at Baba Ecolodge (November 16–22, 2026) followed by 4 months of online integration (December 10, 2026 – April 8, 2027).

Phase 1

7-Day In-Person Training at Baba Ecolodge

November 16–22, 2026, on Koh Phra Thong, Thailand. Standard Sequence, Way of the Guide, Language for Relational Forest Therapy, trail safety. You guide your first forest therapy walk.

Phase 2

4 Months Online Integration

December 10, 2026 – April 8, 2027. Practice walks with trainer debriefs, bioregion study, research, deepening of guiding skills.

Theme

The Art of Guiding

Holding space, crafting invitations, somatic techniques for embodied awareness, expressive arts.

Outcome

Full ANFT Certification Pathway

Provisional certification after the program; permanent certification after immersion completion.

What's Included

  • 7-day in-person training at Baba Ecolodge, Koh Phra Thong, Thailand
  • 4 months of online integration (live calls + practice walks)
  • Trainer debriefs on your guiding practice
  • Downloadable manual + research papers
  • Access to the ANFT global guide community
  • Path to full ANFT certification

Will it pay for itself?

Here's a realistic projection of how quickly Forest Therapy work can recoup your investment.

2 / month = $400
1 / month = $150
0 / month = $0
You recoup your investment in -- months
Year 1 estimated revenue: $--

Estimates based on average industry rates. Your actual results depend on your market, marketing efforts, and pricing decisions.

Your Trainers

Youmin Yap

Youmin Yap

Trainer

Youmin is one of Southeast Asia's pioneer certified Forest Therapy Guides. She trained with Cohort 18 in 2017 and has since been offering the practice on a full-time basis. Currently based in Singapore, Youmin founded Xiu Nature Connections to offer forest therapy experiences with the intention to ignite the importance of deep restorative rest and deep connections for the wellbeing of stressed-out and disconnected city dwellers. She has partnered with organizations including the National Parks Board of Singapore, Museflower Retreat and Spa in Thailand, GIC Singapore, the Singapore Cancer Society and the Department of Tourism of the Philippines, and her work has been shared at international conferences. Youmin holds a Master of Science in life sciences from the National University of Singapore and a postgraduate diploma in education from the National Institute of Education Singapore.

Amanda Yik

Amanda Yik

Trainer

Amanda's deep connection with nature has supported her through life's many challenges, including multiple career transitions and critical illness. She felt called to be of service to the earth in 2006, but it took her many years and a winding path before encountering Forest Therapy, a practice that deeply resonated with her calling. Having trained as part of Cohort 18, Amanda has been an ANFT Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide since 2017, when she founded Shinrin-Yoku Hong Kong, through which she has offered more than 200 forest therapy and nature connection experiences, on- and off-line, to support busy urbanites on bodyful and soulful journeys of homecoming through reconnecting with nature. Amanda is particularly called to support people in transition and those facing chronic stress, and she collaborates extensively with the corporate sector, environmental and conservation organizations, the social service sector and educational institutions. Amanda is honoured to be a mentor for guides-in-training, and the first Asia-based ANFT trainer. She is also an International Coach Federation Certified Professional Coach for Transformation and long-time yoga, mindfulness and tai chi practitioner.

What Our Guides Experience

Across the world, our graduates describe this training not just as learning, but as a profound shift in how they relate to themselves, others, and the living world.

This training has fundamentally changed the way I see and experience nature, and consequently how I see myself and all beings. As a Child & Family therapist, it gave me the knowledge, tools and confidence to support my clients in ways I never could before.

Gabriel RischallChild & Family Therapist · Hummingbird Cohort

A beautiful course, rife with meaning, and something that has changed me in both complex and subtle ways. Rediscovery of the lost parts of yourself isn't always electric, sometimes it's quiet and soothing… a river you always knew you were made of and can just jump back in again.

KateForest Therapy Guide · Chico Cohort

I come from a technical background: IT, Project Management, Process Engineering. This course allowed me to slow my pace and change my way of thinking. Our instructors guided us through a lot of material with a gentleness and kindness that totally amazed me.

Grant LucasIT & Project Management · Hummingbird Cohort 2021

I noticed a healing taking place around belonging. Spending time in the forest feels like coming home. I've been feeling a sense of belonging around work, and around what I consider are my unique talents and gifts.

PatrickForest Therapy Guide · Bluebells Cohort

Tuition

Full Program
$3,600
7-day in-person + 4-month online · $3,600 USD
  • 7-day in-person training (Nov 16–22, 2026)
  • 4-month online integration (Dec 10, 2026 – Apr 8, 2027)
  • Practice walks with trainer debriefs
  • Path to full ANFT certification
Enroll Now →

Transparent enrollment & refund policy  ·  Secure checkout · Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal  ·  Questions? Talk to us

Free live session

Not sure yet? Talk to a trainer first.

This is a six-month commitment. You don’t have to decide today, and you don’t have to decide alone. Join a live conversation with ANFT Trainers: what this training asks of you, what it offers, and whether it’s the right next step. It’s not a sales presentation, it’s a conversation, and you can ask anything.

Upcoming sessions

Free · No commitment · About 60 minutes

Limited Cohort Size

We intentionally keep our cohorts small to preserve depth, quality, and personal attention. The in-person training begins November 16, 2026 at Baba Ecolodge on Koh Phra Thong. Spots are limited.

Reserve Your Spot →

Trusted, Transparent Enrollment

ANFT publishes its Payment, Refund and Transfer Policies in full before you enroll. Review them and the cohort schedule, then apply with confidence.

Step Into a New Way of Being and Guiding

This is more than a certification. It's an invitation to reconnect, to serve, and to be part of a growing global movement.

Enroll Now and Begin Your Transformation →