Forest Therapy Guide Training
Ottawa, Ontario - Cohort 23
Event Full - Registration Closed
Registering for a training begins by completing an application which may take 20-30 minutes. This application is a way for us to get to know you and to determine if we think you will make a good forest therapy guide. Once your application is received, our admissions team will review it and, if you are accepted into the program, send an acceptance letter within three weeks. This letter will contain all the information for next steps, including a registration link to reserve your space in the training. To promote an optimal learning environment, we generally cap enrollment at 21 participants per training. Applications we receive after we have filled the training will be placed on a waitlist. If an accepted applicant drops out, we will contact the next applicant on the waitlist until the training is full again.
Conveniently located just 45 minutes from Ottawa International Airport, Carp Ridge EcoWellness Centre exemplifies the vision of a forest wellness center. Directed by Dr. Katherine Willow, N.D.,the Centre is a hub for a vibrant community of health and wellness practitioners. In addition to our acclaimed Forest Therapy Guide Training Program, participants will have the option to book and participate in additional wellness services, such as massage, reiki, yoga, meditation, and more (note: these services available by private arrangement, not included in tuition or lodging).
Carp Ridge EcoWellness Center is set on 196 acres of land that includes forest, wetlands, the rocky Carp Ridge, a pond, and mowed lawns for leisure activities. Trails marked with blue and yellow triangles weave through the forest, offering you several kilometres of walks. Proximity of the woodland to the B&B means you can take regular dips into the natural world, which will suffuse you with the smells of earth, the sounds of birds and insects, and the serenity of this beautiful land. In the Spring, pick wild blueberries, catch frogs, or walk alongside the creek!
Lodging:
There are a limited number of rooms, cabins, and tents available for rent. Camping is also available for those who bring their own equipment. All prices listed below are in CAD and include breakfast.
B&B shared rooms cost $120/day + tax
Strawbale cabins: $65/day + tax
Painted cabins: $65/day + tax
Prospector Tents: $85/day + tax (these include composting toilets)
Camping with your own gear: $45/day + tax. Staff at the centre will direct you to a spot.
The closest alternative accommodations are around 20 minutes away by car in Kanata. Off-site participants are urged to adhere to the daily schedule, and to take special care to show up promptly in the morning 15 minutes before the scheduled start. Please let us know in advance if you will be staying off-site.
The B&B policies are available for review at https://ecowellness.com/accommodation-policies/
Food:
Our meals are carefully designed to be utterly delicious and super healthy, with seasonal, local and organic ingredients, including delicacies wild-crafted from our woods and meadows. Guests may choose from vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarian dishes for breakfast, adding in healthy meat, fish and poultry for optional lunches and dinners. We are well versed in accommodating food sensitivities, please see the registration form.
If you are coming for a healing stay, your diet will be therapeutically designed to meet your needs along with you or your referring health practitioner if you have one.
We have been feeding people healthy meals for years with delighted feedback. Repeated comments are that people didn’t know how wonderful food could be without animal products and how good it makes them feel.
Breakfasts are included in the overnight cost; lunches and dinners are available if ordered ahead.
We look forward to nourishing you — body, mind and soul!
View a sample Forest Retreat Menu
Breakfasts:
CREWC provides breakfast to those who are lodging with them.
Beverages: filtered well water; lemon water; an array of local, organic herbal teas (often foraged or grown on the property) as well as black and green tea; organic free-trade coffee (breakfast only); natural sweeteners (maple syrup, sucanat, honey, xylitol); dairy (raw, organic, grass-fed Jersey milk) and non-dairy milks; locally made kombucha; locally tapped maple sap
Whole grains: wheat and gluten-free breads; hot and cold cereals (oatmeal, rice cream, quinoa); home-baked muffins; buckwheat pancakes
Proteins: organic nut butters; baked beans; dried nuts and seeds; vegan and whey protein smoothies; local organic goat and cow cheeses; yogurt (dairy and non-dairy); local, organic eggs
Fats: coconut oil; organic butter; organic cream
Vegetables: grilled organic tomatoes; home-made tomato ketchup; home-grown sprouts; home-grown greens; fried potatoes; whole vegetable juices
Fruit: local, organic fruit in season; organic apple sauce; organic dried fruit; fruit salad; whole fruit smoothies
Other: dried seaweed; Herbamare salt; nutritional yeast; cumin; turmeric; cinnamon
Lunches:
Lunches are simple: hearty vegan soups for here or to go with sandwiches, raw veggies or salad, fruit and a small healthy sweet. Beverages as above.
Lunch is available for $15.00/day + tax. All prices are in CAD. Both meals must be booked in advance so that the venue’s staff know how many meals to prepare.
Dinners:
Dinners are composed of similar ingredients with the addition of wild fish, organic poultry and grass-fed beef on occasion.
Dinner is available for $25.00/day + tax. All prices are in CAD. Both meals must be booked in advance so that the venue’s staff know how many meals to prepare.
If you have any questions about the food, please contact us.
CREWC uses mostly organic and local foods and enjoy picking vegetables from their garden in the summer months and wildcrafting in the forest. They are able to accommodate a variety of diets, but must be told about any food allergies or preferences when people make reservations to ensure that they have adequate time to accommodate any changes.
Transportation:
Drive time from Ottawa to Carp Ridge EcoWellness Centre ranges from 30-45 minutes. Offsite lodging and commuting options available.
Schedule for Live Events
Tuition
Registering for a training begins by completing an application which may take 20-30 minutes. This application is a way for us to get to know you and to determine if we think you will make a good forest therapy guide. Once your application is received, our admissions team will review it and, if you are accepted into the program, send an acceptance letter within three weeks. This letter will contain all the information for next steps, including a registration link to reserve your space in the training. To promote an optimal learning environment, we generally cap enrollment at 21 participants per training. Applications we receive after we have filled the training will be placed on a waitlist. If an accepted applicant drops out, we will contact the next applicant on the waitlist until the training is full again.
Apply NowTrainers
Our trainers are among the most experienced guides in the world and each one undergoes a rigorous training process beyond their certification as guides. The trainers listed below are subject to change based on trainer availability. No matter which trainers you work with, you will be taught by the best in the field.
Entrenadores
Amos Clifford is the founder of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs and author of the best selling Your Guide to Forest Bathing (Conari Press 2018). A student of Buddhist philosophy for over 20 years, Amos founded Sky Creek Dharma Center in Chico, California, where he emphasized the importance of meditation practice in wild places. Amos is also widely known for his work in restorative justice. He is founder of the Center for Restorative Process, where he has led the inquiry into how the principles of restorative justice can inform ways to heal the broken relationships between humans and the more-than-human world of nature. Amos holds a BS in Organization Development and an MA in Counseling from the University of San Francisco. Amos has been the primary developer of ANFT's acclaimed training programs.
Stana has been working for the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority (CRCA) for over twenty years as the Senior Conservation Educator. Inspired by Earth Education, the Coyote’s Guide to Nature Connection and Forest schools, she aims to connect people with their head, heart and hands to nature. Through the CRCA, Stana brings Forest Therapy walk experiences to the community, private and public organizations and continues to pilot Forest Therapy to elementary and secondary school aged children and youth. The CRCA was the first conservation authority in Ontario to offer Forest Therapy which is now rapidly spreading to other CAs. Stana received her BA from the University of Waterloo in 1998, in the Applied Studies Co-op program with Honours History. She earned her Bachelor of Education at Queen’s in 1999 from the Specialized Outdoor and Experiential Education Program. Her work related to Forest Therapy continues to open her heart and deepen her relationship with all beings.
