Nature Companionship

Recognized by ANFT

A nature immersion program with elements of…

…Forest bathing (shinrin yoku)
…Deep listening
…Contemplation and mindfulness
…Community-building

This program might
be for you if you...

Love the natural world and want to deepen your connection and ecological identity.
Are interested in accompanying groups and individuals on slow, intentional, gentle experiences in nature.
Feel curious about building relationships and reciprocity with the more-than-human world.
Want to commit more deeply to climate/eco justice and healing and being healed by the natural world.
Live in an urban, suburban, or rural setting and want to elevate your self-care, community care, and creative practices.

Outdoor Companionship is…

…A fully online training and provides what you will need to integrate the natural environment in your work, service, and play or guide groups on gentle walks for health and well-being, compassionate presence, and reciprocity. Our andragogy (adult learning model) emphasizes the inner development of the outdoor companion, intuitive and embodied awareness of every proximate and distant being, and our interconnection with all of life. With completion of requirements, you will receive a certificate in Outdoor Companionship.

Jeanette shares about the Outdoor Certification Program.

…Designed for educators of all subjects and ages, therapists, social workers, health professionals, environmentally-focused professionals, spiritual directors/guides, writers and creatives, other caring-centered people, and anyone else who wants to deepen relationships with the natural environment and engage in justice to improve policies and practices of your area of residence. This program is open to all and especially designed for urban dwellers; you do not need to live near a forest to participate, you need only to be able to go outside near trees/flowers/grass.

Program Structure

Synchronous Zoom sessions from March to June with a focus on both practical and theoretical knowledge
From wherever you live: Readings, videos, and engagement with
the more-than-human world
Intentional inclusion of nature companionship in cities

2026 Dates

-March 4-9 in person at GilChrist Retreat Center in SW, Michigan

-April 10-12 online by Zoom (Friday evening, Saturday in the day, Sunday morning)

2026 Rates

Supporter Rate: $2,450+

$850 (food & lodging)

For those with institutional funding or historical access to wealth. Pays for yourself and makes it possible for us to offer this work to those who may not otherwise be able to participate.

Regular Rate: $2,150+

$850 (food & lodging)

Standard rate for the training, that makes our work possible.

Equity Rate: 800+

$850 (food & lodging)

For those who would not be able to participate at the regular rate due to systemic inequity. Please contact us if you need a sliding scale within the equity rate.

Payment Methods
Venmo, PayPal (3% charge,) or Personal Check. For those in need of a payment plan, please inquire.

Note: To secure your spot, 100% of tuition is due after acceptance.

Meet the Faculty

Contact us with application interest

Contact Us

Topics of Exploration

Relationships with plants & place and eco-identity

Reciprocity

Presence, observation, attention, and healing

Herbal medicine

Eco/environmental justice

Discernment in nature

Orientation to self, place, and time

Shinrin yoku (forest bathing)

Hard, soft, and contemplative science of being in nature

How to guide and build communities

Relationship between nature-contemplation & creativity

Wisdom from the Field

“To attend to the tree, to reflect on it,
is to gain a sense for the unity of the world that is,
so to speak, condensed in the tree.”

— Dieter Kotte, Qing Li, Won Sop Shin

Knowing that you love the earth changes you,
activates you to defend and protect and celebrate.
But when you feel that the earth loves you in return,
that feeling transforms the relationship from a
one-way street into a sacred bond.

— Robin Wall Kimmerer

“What’s good for the fish is good for the people.”

— Norm Harry, former chairperson of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe

“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal,
it is not a question of first getting enlightened
or saved and then acting. As we work to
heal the earth, the earth heals us.”

— Joanna Macy in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass