On April 29, 2026, the Multidisciplinary Institute for Natural Therapy (MINT) at the University of British Columbia hosted the Forest Therapy Practice–Research Exchange Session, a one-day experiential gathering designed to strengthen dialogue between Forest Therapy research and lived facilitation practice.
Held between the Forest Sciences Centre and the Rhododendron Woods at UBC, the session brought together researchers, graduate students, and experienced Forest Therapy guides to explore how different facilitation approaches shape participant experience, therapeutic intention, and practice design.
The exchange featured three guides with distinct backgrounds and approaches: Dr. Sean Graham, a certified forest therapy guide and Clinic Director at Satori Integrative Health; Alla Land, a certified Forest Therapy Guide, independent researcher, and author whose work connects forest therapy with culture, healing, and nature-based practice; and Ehren Gruber, co-founder and President of Praxium Learning Foundation and a doctoral student in Transformative Social Change, who brings leadership and cross-cultural facilitation experience to his practice.
The event featured three guided Forest Therapy sessions led by practitioners with distinct backgrounds and approaches, offering participants the opportunity to experience a range of facilitation styles and relational frameworks within Forest Therapy practice.
A central focus of the exchange was the relationship between experiential practice and research inquiry. Rather than treating the forest only as a setting for therapeutic intervention, the session also approached it as a space for shared observation, reflective dialogue, and practice-based learning.
Following each guided session, participants engaged in discussions exploring facilitation structure, sequencing and pacing, adaptation across different populations and contexts, and how specific elements of practice may influence participant experience and therapeutic processes. The discussions also created space to reflect on aspects of Forest Therapy practice that may be difficult to fully capture through conventional research frameworks alone.
The exchange reflects MINT’s broader commitment to fostering thoughtful collaboration across research, practice, and applied implementation within the Forest Therapy field. As interest in nature-based approaches continues to grow internationally, MINT sees ongoing value in creating spaces where researchers and practitioners can learn from one another while contributing to more grounded and context-sensitive conversations around future research, practice frameworks, and professional development within the field.
MINT looks forward to continuing similar exchanges in the future and strengthening collaboration with Forest Therapy practitioners, researchers, and organizations in Canada and internationally.