Meet Your Guide

My journey towards becoming a Forest Therapy Guide began during the time of prolonged lockdowns. Like many others, feeling stuck and sensing a lot of uncertainty in the world and feeling the challenging emotions associated with this. This time created a need within me to start searching for something to add into my life and professional practice which felt new and refreshing that would help me to cope and heal from this challenging experience.

During the period of lockdowns, my daily walks became my primary tool for coping. I began to notice how restorative spending time in nature was. After spending the whole day inside and in front of a screen, my senses would feel numbed but after my walks, I felt like I had been reconnected and senses re-tuned. Nature's peaceful slowness also provided me with moments of stability and helped me feel more acceptance. With my walking rituals, I felt more connected to a positive energy within me and more able to cope better through uncertain times.

I had also always enjoyed spending time exploring nature, camping, visiting waterfalls, countryside drives, and working with organic materials in my Art Therapy practice, such as found sticks, weaving materials, and clay. I engaged in training for nature-based Art Therapy, and then towards the end of lockdowns I came across a course for "Forest Therapy Guiding" through the International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance (INFTA). I immediately knew that this was something I had to learn more about, sensing this was the right avenue for healing and helping myself and others feel connected again.

I started the course on Forest Therapy Guiding at the end of 2021 through the INFTA, where I learned how to practice being more present in nature, what the current research shows, and how to facilitate a positive, connecting nature experience for others.

I will very soon be an INFTA certified Forest Therapy Guide, and I am now thrilled to offer this service to others to help improve their wellbeing.

Read more about Alana Stewart, director, forest therapy guide and Registered Art Therapist