Forest Therapy at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Prof. Dr. Dieter Kotte, INFTA’s Secretary & International Strategic Advisor, conducted a guest lecture for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). His presentation “Implementing Forest Therapy at the ACLM” was addressed to members of the Nature as Medicine Subcommittee and outlined the importance and steps to integrate Forest Therapy as an evidence-based Public Health practice as the 7th pillar of Lifestyle Medicine. The presentation was well received and further steps of collaboration between ACLM and INFTA are under consideration.
Top 5 forest bathing spots in Australia
Leave the daily routine and stress behind and consider taking time out with “forest bathing”. The current top 5 destinations for recreational “forest bathing” and wellbeing surrounded by forest air and immersing in the solitude of nature have been summarized in a recent “Well Traveller” article. Most sought after are destinations where individual Forest Therapy sessions are offered by INFTA-Certified Forest Therapy Guides. Enjoy the article by clicking this link.
Podcast – The real healing happens outside
Invited by Coaching Outdoors, INFTA’s President, Susan Joachim, and INFTA’s Accredited Forest Therapy Guide, disucssed the opportunities of coaching and counselling in outdoor spaces during a recent podcast. Titled “The real healing happens outside” Susan explained and stressed the many health benefits when extending coaching clients from indoor settings to outdoors. Enjoy this podcast by clicking this link.
Geelong Nature Festival 2023
INFTA participated actively in the Geelong Nature Festival 2023, held at the Geelong Botanic Gardens on 8 October 2023. Hundreds of interested people from Geelong and surroundings strolled by to experience the many flowers and blossoming trees. INFTA’s President, Susan Joachim, and INFTA’s Accredited Forest Therapy Guide, Karyn Folwell, offered a free Forest Therapy taster session. Opening the session which led to the lush fern tree section in midst the Geelong Botanic Gardens, INFTA’s Secretary, Dr. Dieter Kotte, Honorary Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health, Deakin University, summarized the many health benefits of Forest Therapy and, especially, phytoncides to interested participants and passers-by.
International Graduation Ceremony 2023
INFTA proudly held its the International Graduation Ceremony at the pristine location of Pallotti College, Victoria, 16 September 2023. Due to the travel and meeting restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the graduation ceremony had to be postponed to this year. INFTA-Certified Forest Therapy Guides from America, Asia, Australia and Europe had graduated during the last few years and were invited to this venue to be presented with their international certificate. The Guest of Honour, A/Prof. Dr. Melissa O’Shea, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Australia, gave an excellent and timely insight into the therapeutic possibilities of Forest Therapy as an adjunct treatment in the realm of mental health. INFTA’s President, Susan V. Joachim, welcomed the graduates and guests. She thanked all graduates for their contribution and efforts to alleviate lifestyle diseases using Forest Therapy as evidence-based Public Health practice.
Forest Therapy Guide Training in Australia
The Institute of Forest Therapy, INFTA’s Accredited Training Provider in Australia, Asia and the Americas, conducted another successful Forest Therapy Guide training workshop at the pristine location of Pallotti College, Victoria, 13-17 September 2023. As always, the highlight of the training was the three-hour Forest Therapy session – free for the Public – at the serene, forested premises of Pallotti College. Admittedly, stunning spring weather added to the fantastic experience for some 25 participants. If interested to also obtain the internationally recognized qualification as INFTA-Certified and Accredited Forest Guide, please select your preferred training option here.
Forest Therapy in Germany and the EU
Jointly with its European partner organisation, INFTA (Germany), INFTA and its Accredited Training Provider, the Institute of Forest Therapy, have successfully completed another five-day, face-to-face practical training workshop in Europe. This “Fachseminar Klinische Waldtherapie” (Forest Therapy Introduction) has been conducted in May 2023 at the picturesque and historic town of Wernigerode at the Eastern slopes of the Harz Mountains. This area is famous for its dense forests and meandering creeks, offering an ideal location for Forest Therapy Guide training. Supported greatly by the local council and forester, our trainees and lecturers – led by INFTA’s President, Susan Joachim – enjoyed the practical experiences of Forest Therapy. The specific challenge mastered successfully by the trainees was to conduct three-hour Forest Therapy sessions for the Public. All participants enjoyed these free-of-charge Forest Therapy events – even with a bit of rain falling. Participants and Forest Therapy trainees alike were taken aback by the rich nature of the Harz Mountains with a multitude of fauna and flora. Rest-assured the workshop participants from Germany, Austria and Australia all had a great time and … learned a lot.
2023 Ottawa Awards
INFTA’s Advisory Board member, Dr Owen Wiseman, has been announced the winner of the 2023 Ottawa Awards. In Canada, the Ottawa Awards constitute the national capital region’s largest and most anticipated annual award event. Dr Wiseman has been named “Health Educator of the Year” in this prestigious Canadian award. His accomplishments were second to none with regards to bolstering social services by providing regular social media feeds and blogs about the health benefits of nature, natural products and living healthily. He was specifically lauded for “translating” complex medical and physiological findings into a clear layman language – which everyone can readily understand when browsing social media seeking health advice. INFTA congratulates Dr Wiseman to his accomplishments in Canada and beyond.
Professional Development Day – Sydney 2023
While the colourful Sydney “Mardi Gras” Pride Parade 2023 was going on in the city, Forest Therapy Guides from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria gathered at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney – located in view of the Sydney Opera – for an important Professional Development Day. As part of INFTA’s Continuous Professional Development (CPD), INFTA’s President, Susan V. Joachim, herself met with about two dozen Forest Therapy Guides. In a recent move to improve Public awareness of Forest Therapy in New South Wales, INFTA and its Accredited Training Provider, the Institute of Forest Therapy, have taken charge of the marketing of Forest Therapy sessions across the three botanic gardens in and around Sydney which are managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. No doubt, this important step will see a significant rise in Forest Therapy events – public and private – across Sydney and New South Wales. Thus, the focus of the Professional Development Day in Sydney was how the Public can be made aware about the manifold physical and mental health benefits of Forest Therapy. Hot but sunny weather complemented the successful event.
Forest Therapy Guide Training – anywhere, any time
INFTA has taken the next important step in promoting Forest Therapy as an evidence-based Public Health practice globally. Since January 2023, the new, innovative and exclusively online-based INTA-Certified Forest Therapy Guide training has been made available to our international audience. It is the world’s first online-based, supervised and mentored training in Forest Therapy designed to render a maximum of learning environment, curricular finesse and, thus, learning success. This is made possible utilizing and advancing the fantastic training options available in the INFTA Learning Management System (LMS). So, start your training any time, anywhere! The INFTA LMS sets the global standard in training Forest Therapy Guides professionally and successfully. At the same time and by relying on the efficiency of the high-end, AI-powered training software behind the INFTA LMS, it became possible to reduce the training costs for interested applicants significantly – while still offering superior training results conforming to the International Core Curriculum of Forest Therapy (ICCFT) – the world’s curricular “gold standard” in training professional INFTA-Accredited and Certified Forest Therapy Guides.