Professional Ecotherapy Certification Program- Fall 2025

**Redesigned to Accommodate Out of Town Students**

“The Time Has Come for Psychology to Embrace Nature and Humans as a Part of Nature”

Learn from ecotherapy pioneer David Talamo, MFT how to integrate the healing magic of Nature into your clinical practice. Whether you wish to work indoors or out on the land, this training will give you the knowledge, skills and experience you need to safely and effectively weave Nature into your therapeutic approach.

Using mindfulness, somatics, expressive arts and ceremony, this unique 5-month long certificate program combines on-the-land daylongs and evening meetings with writing and study to give you a foundation in the field of ecotherapy and support you in being ready to clinically design your own ecotherapeutic treatment plans. Each student will receive two individual ecotherapy sessions with Dave and staff (1.5 hrs per session) and have two individual consultations with Dave to refine their own ecotherapy approach and interventions (1 hr per consultation).

Who:

Therapists, Interns, Social Workers, Psychologists, Coaches and other practicing mental health professionals eager to bring Nature to their clients and their clients to Nature.

What & When: 

By October 3, 2025 you’ll complete our 8-hour self-paced online video class “Therapy Outside the Box: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Confidently Begin Outdoor Ecotherapy”. In this intro mini-course you’ll learn about relevant law & ethics, risk management and liability concerns and how to handle confidentiality, client assessment and other issues you must address to ready yourself and your clients for outdoor therapeutic work. You’ll have unlimited access to the course content and be able to use it for review whenever you need it.

Oct. 5-11, 2025, 9am- 5pm each day. Our in-person instruction formally begins with 7 days of in-person experiential learning in Nature. We’ll use many modes of instruction including live demos, developing new skills, supported practice, discussion, didactic learning and more. Also known as “the Immersion” phase of the program, this is where we form our learning community. Many students go on to nurture the relationships formed in their program cohort for years to come, helping one another manifest the Nature-allied work they’ve been dreaming of for years.

Tuesday evenings, 5:30-8:30pm (PDT): 10/21, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, 12/16, 1/6, 1/20 & 2/10. After the Immersion we continue with 8 live online video calls.

Where:

Outdoors on unceded Coast Salish tribal land in the Skagit River valley. This region of the valley, now known as Day Creek, provides a mesmerizing landscape adorned with ever-changing light and panoramic mountain vistas. Our primary course area will be at Cedar Springs Lodge. Nestled on nearly 50 acres of secluded farm land, the landscape offers a diverse habitat, featuring meadows, gardens, wetlands, & the beautiful Day Creek. Situated less than 30 minutes east of Mt. Vernon and Burlington, 90 minutes north of Seattle, and just an hour’s drive south of Bellingham, WA, this locale can be found to the east of Sedro-Woolley, aptly known as the ‘Gateway to the North Cascades.

On some days we’ll journey to other local wild lands to explore the possibilities in building a therapeutic alliance with a variety of settings and ecosystems. After the in-person Immersion (10/5- 10/11/2025), we’ll meet biweekly for the 8 live video call classes.

Fee:

$4,497. Deposit $500 (balance due 2 months before the start of program, i.e., Aug. 11, 2025). Limited to 12 participants. Additional fee for lodging, if needed. Some Payment plans and BIPOC scholarships available. (Contact us for more details.)

Lodging & Camping (Optional): 

Students may reserve one of the beautiful  rooms or camping spots available on-site or stay off-site and commute to the course. Single and double occupancy rooms are available, some with a private bath. Camping is also available for the week. Go to our Cedar Springs Lodge webpage for more lodging and camping details. Showers and a fully-equipped kitchen are available to all students. Lodging is available beginning on 10/4/25, the evening before the in-person Immersion thru check out on the afternoon of 10/11/25. (Course alumni strongly recommend staying on-site (vs. commuting), reporting that this greatly enriched their learning and personal journey during the immersion.)

Transportation: 

Please consult with us before making your travel plans. Once enrolled in the course, we’ll contact you about your unique travel logistics. Class begins at 9am on Sunday, 10/5/25 and ends by 5pm on Saturday, 10/11/25. For students wanting to carpool from the airport to the course site, we will help you connect with other students to make arrangements.

**A NOTE TO OUT OF TOWN STUDENTS- PLAN TO ARRIVE 10/4 and/or DEPART ON 10/11 or 10/12**

We strongly suggest that you Contact Us BEFORE making travel plans AND that you plan to arrive in the course area in the morning of the day before instruction begins and depart in the afternoon on the day after class ends.

One requirement of the program is that you do two ecotherapy sessions as client with us (so that you have the experience of being an ecotherapy client prior to certification). To make this easier for students from out of town, we can make a limited number of session times available in the day before and during the 7-day immersion. All of these sessions are available and scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis

(For students with easier access to the Skagit Valley and Bellingham, WA, you are welcome to arrange your individual ecotherapy sessions with us at any time convenient to us both. This needn’t be in close proximity to the dates of the 7-day immersion.)

SEE ALL THE PROGRAM DETAILS HERE….

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Enroll Now – Early Bird Discount: Enroll by July 15 and receive a $300 discount.

Double Early Bird Discount ($600)  available til June 1.

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To Register Please Complete These Three Steps:

1. Go To www.wildernessreflections.com/registration-form and complete the form.

2. Make Payment either pay a $500 non-refundable deposit or full fee now via PayPal (after registering in step 1) or by sending a check to us via USPS to Wilderness Reflections, 2516 Northshore Rd., #16, Bellingham WA 98226.

3. Send us a 1-page letter of intent stating your reasons for enrolling in the  apprenticeship program  (via email or by USPS to Wilderness Reflections, 2516 Northshore Rd., #16, Bellingham WA 98226).