Association of Nature and Forest Therapy

What Association of Nature and Forest Therapy does

The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) is a private training organization headquartered in Prescott, Arizona, that certifies individuals as Forest Therapy Guides. Its core offerings are two certification pathways — an Online First track (six months online plus a four-day in-person immersion) and an In-Person First track (seven-day immersion plus four months online) — delivered via Thinkific LMS, Zoom, and cohort-based retreats at partner centers in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Thailand, Chile, and Australia. The organization also operates a Global Guide Network that includes an annual professional membership, a public guide directory, and an Airtable-based walk-report system for community accountability.

The company monetizes through four primary streams: cohort-based certification tuition (treated as a multi-month recurring engagement), annual guide membership dues, specialized one-time courses (Nature as Medicine, Relational Forest Therapy, Introduction to Forest Bathing, Trail Consultant), and trail certification professional services. The Nature as Medicine program, accredited by Mass General Brigham, provides up to 86 continuing education credits and targets licensed healthcare professionals as a distinct vertical. ANFT's flagship methodology, Relational Forest Therapy™, is a registered brand identity pioneered by founder M. Amos Clifford, who authored the underlying training manual. The firm employs 1-10 people, has been operating for over a decade, and serves individual aspiring guides, healthcare professionals, walk participants, and landowners/trail operators. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

Association of Nature and Forest Therapy

Legal name

Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs

Website

https://natureandforesttherapy.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) trains and certifies Forest Therapy Guides through online and in-person cohorts, operates a global guide membership network, and offers specialized programs including a Mass General Brigham-accredited Nature as Medicine course for healthcare professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Certification

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure Therapy & Therapeutic Wilderness Programs (THAAAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife & Nature Interpretation Guides (Birding, Photography, Naturalist) (THAAALAE), Hiking, Trekking & Mountain Guiding (THAJABAA)

Keywords

• Forest therapy training
• Nature connection programs
• Wellness certification
• Mindfulness instructor training
• Ecotherapy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Prescott

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Forest Therapy Guide Certification Programs: Multi-phase training programs combining online coursework with in-person immersions. Participants pay for 6-month online learning plus 4-day in-person retreats at various global locations.
2. Professional Guide Membership: Annual membership program for certified guides providing access to resources, the guide directory portal, and ongoing professional development.
3. Specialized Training Programs: Nature as Medicine Training for healthcare professionals offering continuing education credits; Relational Forest Therapy Course; Introduction to Forest Bathing Course; Trail Consultant certification.
4. Trail Certification: Certifying forest therapy trails and consulting services for trail consultants.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) trains and certifies Forest Therapy Guides through dual pathways (online-first and in-person-first), combining six months of online coursework with multi-day in-person immersions at global retreat centers. It also delivers specialized programs including the Nature as Medicine Training accredited by Mass General Brigham for healthcare professionals, the Relational Forest Therapy course, introductory forest bathing courses, and trail certification services. A global guide network and annual professional membership connect certified guides with participants seeking guided forest therapy experiences.

Product overview

The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) offers a portfolio of interconnected training and certification programs centered on Forest Therapy Guide training. The core offerings are two certification pathways—Online First (6 months online + 4-day immersion) and In-Person First (7-day training + 4 months online)—that lead to Forest Therapy Guide certification. These are supplemented by specialized programs including Nature as Medicine Training (accredited by Mass General Brigham for healthcare professionals), Relational Forest Therapy Course, Introduction to Forest Bathing Course, and Guide Training in Sign Language. Supporting services include Trail Certification, Training Immersions, and Professional Development Courses. A Global Guide Network provides ongoing membership and directory services for certified guides. The organization has been training guides for over a decade with presence across multiple countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Relational Forest Therapy™: A pioneering strand of forest therapy developed by ANFT that focuses on expanded webs of interbeing with the more-than-human world.

Products and services

• Forest Therapy Guide Certification - Online Pathway

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 86 continuing education credits available through the Nature as Medicine program accredited by Mass General Brigham

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mass General BrighamflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMass General Brigham, the teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, has accredited the Nature as Medicine Practitioner Training program. This accreditation offers up to 86 continuing education credits for licensed healthcare professionals completing the program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mindbody: Large wellness and fitness SaaS platform with a marketplace of forest bathing and nature-therapy experiences; represents a potential channel partner or competitive threat given its scale and consumer reach.
• World Nature Organization (WNO) Forest Therapy: International body that promotes and trains practitioners in forest therapy, particularly across Asia; operates a parallel certification ecosystem overlapping with ANFT's global guide network.
• Outward Bound: Established outdoor education and wilderness therapy provider whose instructor-training and experiential programs overlap with ANFT's adventure/wilderness therapy positioning.

Direct peers

• Wilderness Awareness School: Offers naturalist and wilderness awareness instructor trainings with a nature-connection pedagogical approach, sharing ANFT's focus on training guides rather than delivering one-off outdoor experiences.
• Forest Bathing Institute: UK-based organization that trains and certifies forest bathing guides through accredited short courses, directly competing with ANFT in the certification category for the European and global English-speaking market.
• Shinrin-Yoku Hub: Online platform and training community offering certified forest therapy guide programs, closely overlapping with ANFT's certification, retreat, and instructor-training business.

Emerging players

• Nature Connectedness Research Group (University of Derby): Academic research group that has commercialised forest bathing training programs for practitioners and clinicians, partially overlapping with ANFT's Nature as Medicine healthcare-pro channel.
• Earthbody Institute: Nature-connection training provider offering workshops, facilitator certifications, and wilderness experiences that overlap with ANFT's Relational Forest Therapy curriculum and audience.
• Center for Nature Connection: Provides nature-based wellness programs and trainings for facilitators, targeting a similar audience of aspiring nature-therapy practitioners with comparable workshops and certifications.

Others

• Wellness Tourism Association: Industry association representing wellness-travel destinations; relevant ecosystem player for ANFT's trail certification and retreat-center partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ANFTForestGuide
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCE-q1cBI6E6s0mHo_FcvTiA
• Facebookfacebook.com/natureandforesttherapy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nature-and-forest-therapy
• Instagraminstagram.com/natureandforesttherapy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association of Nature and Forest Therapy