The next course takes place on 2nd March 2026.
The Certified Outdoor Therapist Programme has been designed for qualified therapists such as psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, as well as counsellors and mental health teams, who want to harness the therapeutic power of the outdoors to support their clients.
This course is appropriate for those working with children, adults, young people or mixed age ranges. The content is adaptable to all ages and client groups.
Throughout this course, you’ll find out more about the benefits to taking your therapeutic approach outside. These include reducing stigma and breaking down barriers for individuals who struggle with the face-to-face or office-based nature of therapeutic support, through to the physiological and psychological benefits of spending time outdoors for yourself and your clients. Our programme gives you all the development you need to start delivering effective outdoor therapy straight away.
Gaining your certification as a Certified Outdoor Therapist opens up a wealth of new opportunities.
If you've been thinking about how to begin working in the outdoors, but you aren't sure how, this is the course for you.
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
To enrol on the Certified Outdoor Therapist Programme you must be:
a) A registered therapist b) A mental health professional
Many of those on our courses are registered Therapists, for example, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, CBT Therapists, Counsellors and Play Therapists.
If you would like to take part in the Certified Outdoor Therapist Programme but you don't meet the above criteria, you can book a short assessment call with our team to ensure it's the right course for you, alternatively it may be that the Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner Programme or the Accredited Outdoor Coach Programme is the appropriate option for you.
You’re in safe hands enrolling on our Certified Outdoor Therapist Programme.
Our Course has been accredited by the CPD Group, following a rigorous process.
Becoming a Certified Outdoor Therapist with an accredited programme demonstrates to schools, funders, clients, your workplace and parents that you are committed to continuing professional development and have received specialist training in designing and delivering outdoor therapy programmes, especially for clients who otherwise may not access support.
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 certification to state you are a Certified Outdoor Therapist.
The Certified Outdoor Therapist Programme empowers therapists with the tools to take their practice outdoors, breaking down barriers to therapy for many marginalised groups.
The programme features three modules that make up the full course. All of our modules are led by a multidisciplinary therapy team and Outdoor Leaders.
This module explores what Outdoor Therapy is and the benefits of it.
Key Topics:
What is Outdoor Therapy and who it is for?
Inequality in Outdoor Therapy
The benefits of Outdoor Therapy
Nature connection and it's relationship to therapy
Breaking down barriers to therapeutic engagement
This module explores key concepts in Outdoor Therapy and delivering Outdoor Therapy.
Key Topics in Part A - Key Concepts:
Dyadic and Triadic Approaches to Outdoor Therapy
The Forest School Ethos
The Shoulder to Shoulder Approach
Key Topics in Part B - Delivering Outdoor Therapy:
Confidentiality in Outdoor Therapy
Creating Boundaries in the Outdoors
Key session management tools and managing the environment
Taking appropriate risks
Cultural and Diversity Considerations
Outcome Measurement
Using a strategy approach
This module teaches you the practical skills you need to delivery outdoor therapy, provides you with a range of case studies from Outdoor Therapists and provides you with an Activity Kit covering Nature Arts and Crafts, Mindful Movement and Mindful Bushcraft.
This day can be delivered in-person in Manchester or online.
Key Topics in Part A - Practical Skills:
Your Outdoor Therapy Kit
Selecting your site and creating a safe space
Creating shelter and using hammocks
Leave no trace principles
Communication Protocols for working outdoors
Safety, risk assessments and session modifications
In this section, you have access to training on a range of activities that you can deliver in the outdoors with minimal tools:
Nature Arts and Crafts such as using Clay, Stick Dolls, Leaf Crowns and more
Mindful Movement such as Walking, Hammocks and Bubbles
Mindful Bushcraft such as Lashing, Nordic Slinging Braids and Firelighting
You'll hear from Outdoor Therapists delivering their own outdoor sessions, what they look like, what we can learn from them.
Delivered by a range of Outdoor Therapists such as Neuropsychologists, Clinical Psychologists, Counsellors and Speech and Language Therapists and more.
In this section, you'll explore Piloting Your Programme and getting started.
Key Topics:
How and why we pilot
Creating a niche
Partnerships and Signposting
Ongoing Supervision
Becoming a Certified Outdoor Therapist is a new chapter in your career. As part of the Certified Outdoor Therapist Programme, you'll understand the Fundamentals of Outdoor Therapy, feel confident delivering outdoor sessions, be able to assess risk in the outdoors and have a number of nature-based activities that you can deliver in the outdoors.
During the course, you'll get access to three evening Application to Practice sessions of 1 hour long with Forest School Leader & Speech and Language Therapist. They're recorded for you to watch back later if you can't attend live. They include:
Simple Steps to Getting Started
Ethical Issues Relating to Outdoor Therapy
Using Nature as Metaphor
You'll hear from Family Systemic Practitioner and Forest School Leader Abbey Southall on Working with Children in the Outdoors and you'll get access to our Sample Programmes which provide a range of mental health and wellbeing strategies that you can use during your sessions taught by Clinical Psychologists.
You'll also benefit from Post-Certification Support on finding new opportunities as a Certified Outdoor Therapist.
This course is accredited by the CPD Group for 50 CPD hours,
Our team have worked with SJL Insurance to ensure that Certified Outdoor Therapists can gain insurance through them to deliver outdoor therapy clinics. You can also approach an alternative insurance provider. We provide a short insurance document that outlines what training you have received.
On completion, Certified Outdoor Therapists will be able to gain insurance that covers the delivery of outdoor therapy clinics using a range of outdoor activities but excludes use of fire and tools with clients. You may wish to also complete the Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification if you'd like to use tools and fire with a client group.
The date for the next course has not yet been announced but will take place in Spring 2026
When you complete the Certified Outdor Therapist Programme course, you can choose to complete some of the course in-person or complete it fully online.
Starts 2nd March 2026 with an in-person day on Friday 27th March 2026.
You can choose to complete Module 3: Practical Skills for Therapists on our blended learning day.
The blended course costs £530 or 12 instalments of £44.50.
Starts 2nd March 2026
When you complete the course as a fully online option, all elements are available via our online learning platform.
The online course costs £475 or 12 instalments of £39.75.
There’s no need to worry about a busy scheduling getting in the way of becoming a Certified Outdoor Therapist. 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.
Made up of short videos and a series of tasks on our online platform, the course is completed with a final exam and assignment (and don’t worry, if exams aren’t for you, we can look at alternative assessments). The course is self-paced 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 Application to Practice sessions are held during the evening and recorded to watch back.
Outdoor Therapeutic Support is developing and quickly growing field.
The Outdoor Therapy Clinical Supervision Group provides Outdoor Therapists and Outdoor Mental Health Practitioners with a space to develop their practice.
All alumni of the Certified Outdoor Therapist Programme get access to Basic Membership of the Outdoor Therapy Clinical Supervision Group for ongoing group Clinical Supervision sessions.
You’ll learn more about:
Why you should take your therapy outdoors and become a Certified Outdoor Therapist
What you’ll learn during the 4 modules from our Clinical Psychologist, specialist Forest School Leader and Therapist and experienced team
Why we teach you to conduct risk assessments and deliver outdoor activities safely (as well as provide you with a library of activities and sample programmes)