Previously asked questions
Here we list the questions that guides (in training) or people who would like to do training have already asked.
Can you make a living as a forest bath guide?
No. Not full time. Not in Flanders. I definitely recommend reading an interesting blog by an experienced (and well-known international guide) before you resign and start training: https://juliaplevin.medium.com/can-you-make-a-living-as -a-forest-therapy-guide-30033a04ec02
You certainly cannot get rich. And even then it would not fit the authenticity of your calling. My costs (including investment costs) are even greater, but since I see forest bathing guide training and the things that will happen to you afterwards as part of my personal development and health promotion and quest for authenticity, that's okay for me.
Which training suits me best?
You will already find a (not complete) list on the page of courses. We recommend that you first find out for yourself why you want to do a training and what you want to get out of it. From this you can distil your own criteria. Contact different study programs and see which study program best meets your criteria. Here are some guiding questions:
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Do you want to strengthen your own 'nature connection'? Do you also want to make a personal development yourself?
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Do you already guide forest baths? Are you a nature coach? And are you mainly looking for a way to validate that with a certificate?
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Are you a clinical psychologist or doctor and would you like to understand the (medical) science behind forest baths?
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How much money do you want to spend?
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How much time do you want to - and can - invest? (Usually the time to want is longer than to be able to).
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Do you want to do this in Belgium? Or are you willing to go abroad?
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Do you want to do this at your own pace? Or via a timetable of the trainer?
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How creative and enterprising are you? (Especially if you want to earn some money afterwards)
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...
At FTI and ANFT we have to take an outdoor / wilderness first aid (4 pm - 2 days) to obtain our certificate. Are you informed or can you recommend an organization in Belgium? An organization organizes it once a year, but then I have to wait another 9 months.
Ah yes, the wilderness first aid training is really very difficult to find in Belgium. I also had to do that from ANFT. It is also recommended by ANFT to do this every two years as well, as a kind of refresher. You can also contact an organization to provide training this summer in Belgium, perhaps especially for forest bathing guides. There are several organizations that can give that in Belgium. You must have a minimum number of participants, but maybe you can look through the facebook group of the FB guides to see how much interest would be in such training and then appeal to an organization?
Another option is to follow that online. I was lucky that ANFT allowed me to do it online at the end of my practical, also because that was all I had to do and the pandemic was then called. The problem is that there is a lot of physical contact: you should always have a regular 'sidekick' to practice on. I had to take pictures of how to care for a broken leg and was lucky that my mum (my hug contact) was willing. Don't they allow online courses in FTI as well?
More questions
Don't hesitate to ask us.
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These questions have been answered by Wendy Wuyts.