Starts 9th April 2026
It is estimated that 1 in 5 children have a mental health problem. In the last 3 years, the likelihood of young people having a mental health problem has increased by 50%.
The Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner programme is a fully accredited program designed to enable Forest School Leaders to specialise in mental health.
Following certification, you’ll be equipped to deliver outdoor mental health interventions that support young people with mental health needs, either in a 1:1 or small group setting.
Join our email list for more information about the Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner Programme.
You will be taught by Clinical Psychologists, therapists, and other mental health professionals on how to deliver interventions that pair therapeutic approaches with outdoor activities.
You will learn about common mental health presentations, models of mental health, and how to use this foundation to support young people with mental health needs. Training includes creating case formulations, conducting baseline assessments, and setting therapeutic targets.
The programme covers a wide range of techniques including validating emotions, cognitive reappraisal, challenging cognitive distortions, using nature as a metaphor, mindfulness practices, active listening, breathing strategies, grounding techniques, and more.
You will also have access to outdoor toolkits for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, self-confidence development, and addressing anxiety and low mood in young people. Additionally, you will receive support to create therapeutic relationships and use various psychological models to understand and support behaviour.
Gaining your certification as a Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner opens up a wealth of new opportunities. You can secure work with CAMHS, local authorities, specialist schools, and the alternative education sector. There is a high demand for outdoor mental health work, but many Forest School Leaders lack the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take on these projects.
At The Therapy Adventure Ltd, we believe in Doing Therapy Differently. On any given day, you’ll find our therapists delivering 1:1 therapy whilst whittling around the fire in our outdoor clinics, leading outdoor communication groups for children with complex needs in the woods or supporting autistic children at rock climbing walls.
Our Training is delivered by our Multi-disciplinary Therapy and Outdoor Mental Health Team including 3 Clinical Psychologists, a Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Family Therapist and Arts Therapist.
Entry Requirements
This is an advanced course for Level 3 Forest School Leaders or experienced Outdoor Leaders. We recommend a minimum of 2 years post qualifying experience, but this isn't necessary in all cases.
You may be a Forest School Leader with a strong interest in Mental Health or alternatively you may be an existing alternative education provider or school based forest school leader, working 1:1 or providing support for small groups of pupils with mental health needs.
If you are not sure whether the course is right for you, use the buttons below:
The Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner Programme is a course fully accredited by The CPD Group.
Becoming a Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner with an accredited programme demonstrates to schools, funders and parents that you are committed to continuing professional development and have received specialist training in delivering Outdoor Mental Health Interventions.
The accreditation process may sound daunting, but we make it as easy a process as possible. To gain accreditation you need to complete a short online exam and assignment. The assignment should be 1000-1200 words long and is designed to showcase your learning. The exam is 10 questions long and is not timed.
We appreciate that there are many barriers to succeeding in exams. We can provide alternative assessment for those who are likely to struggle with an exam or written assignment. Upon completion, you will gain a Certification to state you are a Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner.
The Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner Programme trains Forest School Leaders to provide Outdoor Mental Health Interventions.
The Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner Programme, features 4 modules and 3 additional webinars that make up the full course. All of our modules are led by Qualified Therapists, Clinical Psychologists and Outdoor Mental Health Practitioners.
This module provides a foundational understanding of mental health in young people, essential for delivering effective outdoor mental health interventions. Delivered by clinical psychologists.
Key Topics:
Common Presentations of Mental Health
Understanding Different Models of Mental Health for Outdoor Interventions
Stigma and Breaking Stigma in Outdoor Settings
Supporting Looked After Children
Neurodiversity and Mental Health
Trauma-Informed Practice in Outdoor Mental Health Interventions
Attachment Theory and Attachment Styles
This module is split into two parts, Part One focuses on Key Concepts in Outdoor Therapy and Part 2 looks at case formulations and setting Therapeutic Targets. Delivered by Clinical Psychologists and Outdoor Therapists.
Key Topics:
Breaking down barriers to therapeutic support for marginalised groups
The Therapy Adventure Approach to Outdoor Mental Health Intervention
When and Why to Use Case Formulation
Using baseline measures in Outdoor Interventions
Selecting and Setting Therapeutic Goals for Outdoor Interventions
In this module you will learn how to pair therapeutic approaches with outdoor activities to achieve specific therapeutic outcomes.
You’ll be taught specific techniques to support mental health including validating emotions, cognitive reappraisal, challenging cognitive distortions, using nature as a metaphor, mindfulness practices, active listening, modelling positive self talk, incremental goals, breathing strategies, grounding techniques and more!
You will be guided on how to match these approaches with suitable outdoor activities, including Nature Art, Bushcraft, Wild Cooking, Storytelling and Nature Connection activities.
You will have access to the following Outdoor Toolkits, all delivered by Clinical Psychologists:
Outdoor Toolkit: Developing Emotional Regulation
Outdoor Toolkit: Building Distress Tolerance
Outdoor Toolkit: Supporting Young People experiencing Anxiety
Outdoor Toolkit: Supporting Young People experiencing Low Mood
Outdoor Toolkit: Supporting Young People to develop Self Confidence
In this module, you will learn how to create a safe and supportive environment for young people in outdoor settings.
Key topics:
Creating a safe space using structure and routines
Meeting sensory needs in the Outdoors
Using the STAR model to understand and respond to behaviour
The crisis cycle and De-escalation techniques
Understanding early signs of mental health deterioration
Safeguarding and Signposting to other services
You will be taught by clinical psychologists, therapists, and other mental health professionals on how to deliver Outdoor Interventions; pairing therapeutic approaches with outdoor activities to create positive change.
You will learn about common mental health presentations and models of mental health. Using this foundation, you will be equipped to support young people with mental health needs, employing baseline assessments and case formulations to set therapeutic targets.
The programme covers a wide range of techniques to support mental health. You will receive training on creating case formulations, conducting baseline assessments, and setting therapeutic targets.
You will have access to outdoor toolkits focused on supporting emotional regulation, distress tolerance, self-confidence development, and addressing anxiety and low mood in young people.
Finally, you will receive support to create a therapeutic relationship and use techniques to help young people feel safe, learning to use different psychological models to understand and support behaviour.
There’s no need to worry about a busy scheduling getting in the way of becoming a Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner. We’ve tailored our programme to fit around your day-to-day commitments. Whether it’s the day job or looking after little ones, all our modules are self-paced. Typically, we recommend setting aside around 2- hours per week to complete the certification, but however you manage this is completely up to you!
We typically deliver the full course over a 8-week period, but this can be fast tracked to 6-weeks if so required. If this doesn’t work around your other commitments, that’s no problem. We allow up to 2-years for the course to be completed.
While our courses are built to your schedule, you certainly won’t be without help. You’ll be allocated a course mentor who you can go to with any queries along the way. We also offer community support via our sociable Facebook group and live study sessions, so you can study alongside peers.
The course is self-paced, delivered via our online learning platform (and supported by our team, course mentors, Facebook community and resources) so that you're able to access the materials in your own time. Our guest speaker sessions are held during the evening and recorded to watch back
Starts 9th April 2026
Delivered via our self-paced learning platform, the core content is made up of short videos and a series of tasks on our online platform so that you can access them in your own time. Guest speakers take place in the evening and are recorded to catch up.
You'll get started with Welcome Week on our course start date before beginning Module 1 and following our course timetable over 8 weeks, and longer if you prefer.
The online course costs £475 or 12 instalments of £39.75.