Starts Monday 25th January 2027
Feel confident applying trauma-informed practice throughout your Forest School provision, using woodland experiences to support nervous system regulation in children who have experienced trauma and adversity.
The Accredited Trauma-Informed Forest School Leader is a specialist practitioner accreditation developed by The Therapeutic Forest's multidisciplinary therapy team, with input from our Clinical Psychologists. It equips Forest School Leaders with the knowledge and practical skills to create emotionally safe, trauma-informed woodland experiences.
Forest School has long been recognised for its positive impact on children's confidence, wellbeing and emotional development.
For children who have experienced trauma, Forest School can be particularly valuable.
This programme builds on the wellbeing benefits that lie at the heart of Forest School, helping practitioners intentionally apply trauma-informed principles and maximise the therapeutic potential of every woodland experience.
This programme has been designed for Forest School Leaders who want to deepen the therapeutic impact of their practice.
Whether you already support children affected by trauma, work alongside schools, or simply want to better understand children's behaviour and emotional needs, this programme will give you the confidence to apply trauma-informed principles within your existing Forest School sessions.
It is particularly suitable for:
Qualified Forest School Leaders
Therapeutic Forest School practitioners
Outdoor educators working with children
SEND practitioners delivering Forest School
Previous CITS graduates looking to specialise
If you want to talk through whether this is the right fit for you, book a call or message us on WhatsApp
Today's Forest School Leaders support children with increasingly diverse experiences and needs. Understanding trauma-informed practice helps you move beyond instinct and develop a deeper understanding of how children experience the world.
Forest School has always been about relationships, belonging, child-led learning and meaningful experiences in nature.
Today, we also have a far greater understanding of how trauma, adversity and the nervous system influence children’s development, behaviour and wellbeing.
This programme brings together these two areas of knowledge, helping Forest School Leaders build on the existing ethos of Forest School with specialist trauma-informed practice, grounded in current research and designed specifically for outdoor settings.
Discover how everyday woodland experiences can be used intentionally to support nervous system regulation in children who have experienced trauma and adversity.
Many children attending Forest School today have experienced trauma or significant adversity.
While every child’s experience is different, trauma can influence development, behaviour, relationships and the way children experience the world around them.
Understanding trauma-informed practice helps us create environments where every child has the opportunity to feel safe, supported and able to thrive.
A Trauma-Informed Forest School Leader brings together the child-led ethos of Forest School with a deeper understanding of trauma, the brain and the nervous system.
Rather than relying on instinct alone, they understand why children respond the way they do and how everyday woodland experiences can intentionally support regulation, safety, trust and belonging.
They see behaviour through a trauma-informed lens, creating Forest School environments where children feel emotionally safe, understood and able to engage.
Most importantly, they don't just understand the theory. They have the confidence to translate evidence-informed, trauma-informed principles into everyday Forest School practice, maximising the therapeutic potential of every session.
Understand how trauma, adversity and chronic stress can influence children’s development, behaviour, relationships and participation in Forest School.
Recognise signs of nervous system dysregulation and understand how the brain responds to threat.
Apply trauma-informed principles confidently within your Forest School sessions.
Create emotionally safe, inclusive environments where children feel welcomed, valued and supported.
Use co-regulation, attunement and therapeutic presence to build trusting relationships.
Apply practical sensory, movement and rhythm-based approaches to support nervous system regulation.
Understand behaviour through a trauma-informed lens and respond with curiosity, compassion and appropriate boundaries.
Adapt your Forest School sessions to meet the needs of children with a wide range of experiences while maintaining safety for the whole group.
Reflect on your own responses, recognise your own triggers and use strategies to remain calm, regulated and responsive.
Design trauma-informed Forest School programmes that intentionally promote regulation, belonging, resilience and emotional wellbeing.
If you’d like to gain the practical skills and understanding to better support children and young people through nature you can enrol here or book a call to talk it through.
This specialist practitioner programme combines expert teaching with practical application.
Through six online modules you'll explore trauma, child development, the nervous system and evidence-informed outdoor practice using:
Video teaching
Practical demonstrations
Case studies
Reflective activities
Downloadable resources
Practitioner toolkit
The course is fully online and takes approximately 16-20 hours to complete but it is entirely self-paced so you can easily fit study around your life.
Everything has been designed specifically for Forest School Leaders, helping you immediately apply your learning to your own sessions.
Many children attending Forest School today have experienced trauma or significant adversity.
This programme goes beyond understanding how trauma affects children. It equips you with the specialist knowledge and practical skills to apply trauma-informed principles confidently within Forest School.
You’ll learn how to recognise nervous system dysregulation, create trauma-informed Forest School environments, build trusting relationships through co-regulation, and integrate specialist approaches such as movement-based regulation, sensory strategies, grounding techniques and rhythm into your practice.
By the end of the programme, you’ll not only understand how trauma can influence children’s development, behaviour and relationships, you’ll have the confidence to embed trauma-informed practice throughout your Forest School provision, creating woodland experiences that maximise the therapeutic potential of Forest School for every child.
You'll finish the programme with far more than an understanding of trauma.
You'll leave with:
Specialist practitioner accreditation
The Trauma-Informed Forest School Toolkit
Planning templates
Regulation activities
Behaviour support frameworks
Practitioner guides
Case studies
Reflective workbooks
Downloadable resources you can continue using long after completing the programme
Most importantly, you'll have the confidence to intentionally design Forest School experiences that support children's regulation, safety and wellbeing.
Ready to get started?
The Certificate in Therapeutic Skills for Outdoor Leaders provides the foundations for therapeutic practice in outdoor settings, introducing key concepts such as attachment, communication, child development, therapeutic relationships and supporting children’s mental wellbeing.
The Accredited Trauma-Informed Forest School Leader programme takes this learning a step further.
Drawing on current understanding of trauma, the brain and the nervous system, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of how trauma and adversity can influence children’s development, behaviour and relationships.
You’ll learn how to apply specialist trauma-informed approaches within Forest School, from co-regulation and nervous system regulation to trauma-informed session design, behaviour support and creating psychologically safe woodland environments.
Together, the two programmes provide a comprehensive foundation for Forest School Leaders who want to deepen the therapeutic impact of their practice and confidently support children who have experienced trauma and adversity.
This accredited programme has been developed by The Therapeutic Forest’s multidisciplinary therapy team, bringing together expertise from clinical psychology, counselling, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and Forest School.
Rather than learning generic trauma-informed theory and working out how it applies outdoors yourself, every aspect of this programme has been designed around the realities of Forest School.
From movement, sensory experiences and risky play, to campfires, woodland routines, den building, group dynamics and transitions, you’ll learn how to apply trauma-informed principles confidently within the sessions you already lead.
Explore more about the course content, the support and the assessment
At The Therapeutic Forest, learner support is a big part of how we work. From your first questions about the programme through to completing your accreditation, our team is here to help.
You'll have access to:
Support from Georgina, our Learning Coordinator, who can help with practical questions, your learning journey and anything you're unsure about along the way.
Expert teaching from our multidisciplinary therapy team, bringing together therapeutic knowledge and real-world outdoor practice.
Guidance with your learning and assessment, so you know what's expected and can progress with confidence.
Lifetime access to your course materials and toolkit, allowing you to revisit your learning whenever you need it.
And if you have a question, you can talk to a real person. We're available by email, phone and WhatsApp, whether you need help with the course or simply want to talk something through.
We want you to finish the programme not only with your accreditation, but feeling confident putting what you've learned into practice.
The programme is assessed through a short multiple-choice exam, designed to check your understanding of what you've learned, not to catch you out. The questions reflect the content covered throughout the programme, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of trauma-informed Forest School practice and the key principles you've explored.
Module 1: Understanding Trauma and Adversity
Develop a solid understanding of trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), developmental trauma and chronic stress. Explore how trauma can influence children’s brain development, emotional regulation, behaviour, relationships and participation in Forest School.
Module 2: Trauma, the Brain and the Nervous System
Discover how trauma affects the developing brain and nervous system. Learn about the Survival Brain, the Window of Tolerance and why children may move into fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses. Understand why traditional approaches don’t always work and explore the science behind co-regulation and bottom-up regulation.
Module 3: Nervous System Regulation in Forest School
Learn how to intentionally use the unique qualities of Forest School to support regulation. Explore the role of movement, rhythm, proprioception, sensory experiences and grounding techniques, and discover how everyday woodland activities can help children feel calmer, more regulated and ready to engage.
Module 4: Relational Safety and Co-Regulation
Develop the skills to build safe, trusting and attuned relationships with children. Learn about co-regulation, PACE, therapeutic presence, the power of play and symbolic expression, while also developing greater awareness of your own nervous system and responses as a practitioner.
Module 5: Creating Trauma-Informed Forest School Environments
Discover how to create Forest School sessions where children feel safe, included and able to thrive. Explore sensory safety, neuroaffirming practice, cultural safety, psychological safety, inclusive participation and trauma-informed approaches to behaviour support that promote belonging while maintaining clear and appropriate boundaries.
Module 6: Designing Trauma-Informed Forest School Programmes
Bring everything together by applying your learning to real-life Forest School practice. Through practical case studies and practitioner reflection, you’ll explore how to embed trauma-informed principles into session planning, arrival routines, transitions, group activities, behaviour support and risk-taking, leaving with the confidence to design and deliver trauma-informed Forest School programmes.
On successful completion, you'll be awarded the Accredited Trauma-Informed Forest School Leader Practitioner Accreditation.
Accreditation demonstrates your commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed practice and provides recognition of your specialist knowledge in trauma-informed Forest School.
As more schools, organisations and families recognise the importance of trauma-informed approaches, becoming accredited demonstrates that you’ve completed specialist training designed specifically for Forest School Leaders.
It recognises not only your understanding of trauma, child development and the nervous system, but also your ability to intentionally use Forest School experiences to support children who have experienced trauma and adversity.
Enrol today and gain the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to embed trauma-informed practice throughout your Forest School provision.
Alongside the programme, you’ll receive the Trauma-Informed Forest School Toolkit, a practical collection of downloadable resources designed to help you embed trauma-informed practice into your everyday Forest School sessions.
Rather than simply learning the theory, you’ll have access to planning templates, practitioner guides, regulation activities, behaviour support frameworks, reflective workbooks, case studies, quick-reference resources and practical tools that you can use again and again.
Designed specifically for Forest School Leaders, the toolkit will help you translate your learning into confident, evidence-informed practice, ensuring you’re equipped not only to understand trauma, but to apply trauma-informed principles within the unique context of outdoor learning.
The Accredited Trauma-Informed Forest School Leader programme includes approximately 16–20 hours of specialist practitioner training, equivalent to around two days of professional development.
Study online at your own pace through a combination of expert teaching, practical activities, case studies, reflective practice and downloadable resources.
With lifetime access to the course materials, you can revisit key concepts, practical strategies and toolkit resources whenever you need them, long after you’ve completed your accreditation.
The Accredited Trauma-Informed Forest School Leader Programme costs £325. You can pay over 10 months, with a payment of £32.50 per month. The cost includes:
The Accredited Trauma-Informed Forest School Leader Programme
Expert-led teaching
Downloadable resources
Practical toolkit
Reflective activities
Responsive learner support
Lifetime access
Book a discovery call with Georgina to talk through your background, ask questions and explore whether the programme is the right fit.