LSMU Postgraduate study programme Foundations of Nature and Forest Therapy and Health Effects
The University's postgraduate programme is inspired primarily by society's turn to the natural environment, with people spending more and more of their active lives outdoors and in nature. After completing the year-long course, students will be able to provide forest therapy services to the public. We are a particularly green, forested country and forest therapy services could be used widely to improve people's health and reconnect them with nature.
National
Lithuania
Lithuania's regions
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Lithuanian University of Health Science Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Daiva Last name of representative: Petruseviciene Gender: Female Nationality: Lithuania Function: Head of the postgraduate programme Foundations and Health Implications of Nature and Forest Therapy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: A. Mickeviciaus 9 Town: Kaunas Postal code: LT 44307 Country: Lithuania Direct Tel:+370 680 27117 E-mail:daiva.petruseviciene@lsmu.lt Website:https://lsmuni.lt
URL:https://lsmuni.lt Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): https://www.linkedin.com/school/lsmuni
The conditions of modern life, due to the radical changes in the way of life that have been established for centuries, the increasing detachment from nature, the high pace, dynamics, and information load, are posing challenges to the physical and psychological well-being and health of Lithuanian citizens. Rapid economic growth, actively expanding residential and industrial areas, shrinking green spaces in cities, and increasing environmental pollution undoubtedly have an impact on human health and are becoming another significant population risk factor for ill health.
In particular, life changes influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic have posed major challenges in recent years. The consequences of the pandemic, such as the infection that many people have contracted and the residual effects it leaves behind, as well as the limitations it has had on living, socialising, and the psychological stress it has caused at work and in everyday life, have undoubtedly impaired the well-being, working capacity and quality of life of many people in Lithuania of all ages. All of this underpins the need for greater use of natural therapies in the Lithuanian healthcare system. In order to meet this need, the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, together with colleagues from other institutions, and by bringing together practitioners from various fields, have created a postgraduate study programme in Nature Therapy - The Fundamentals and Health Effects of Nature and Forest Therapies, with the aim of training the first Forest Therapy specialists in Lithuania, who will be able to provide evidence based, high quality, widely accessible Forest Therapy services to the public of all ages in Lithuania, both for the healthy and the sick, in the manner prescribed by law.
Nature and forest therapy
Psychotherapy
Medicine
Connection with nature
Holistic approach
The objectives of this postgraduate programme focus on society, improving its physical and emotional health and reducing stress. Lifestyle modification, management of identified risk factors and daily physical activity are the main means of preventing chronic diseases with the greatest positive impact. An important area of health promotion is nature and forest therapy, which has been widely used in the health systems of developed countries during the last 10 years of intensive development. The efficacy and sustainability of nature and forest therapies is increasingly supported by research showing that nature and forest therapies can be effective in a wide range of physical and psychological health promotion areas, including for sick people. Natural therapies induce positive changes in various organ systems, and natural therapies are particularly promising for improving mental health, a problem that has become a major issue in society recently. The practical relevance of forest therapy practices is particularly relevant in today's context to mitigate the effects of the pandemic period; it is possible to provide this kind of support to refugees hostage in a complex political situation (the background to the war in Ukraine) as well as to the local population affected by the ongoing unrest. Research has shown that deliberate visits to nature have a positive impact on people's health, social ties and sense of community.
The methodology itself is quite versatile, and can be used from practicing forest therapy with a therapist, to taking a guided nature walk, or, once the method has been mastered, to experience forest therapy (or just being in nature) on your own. Forest therapy is a very important educational moment for the younger generation in this place, as it creates a real ecological awareness, which in the future could contribute to the development and implementation of a more sustainable model of coexistence between man and nature.
It is the only unique approved University postgraduate study programme with a clear structure, a system of modules, and without a doubt a continuous quality assessment, bringing together specialists from different fields and teachers from higher education institutions. Graduates of the postgraduate course in Nature and Forest Therapy at LSMU will have a general knowledge of psychology and the basics of health-enhancing psychology, will be able to establish a union with clients, will know which natural and forest factors can have the greatest positive emotional and aesthetic impact on a person's physical and psychological well-being, and, most importantly, will be able to apply these factors to enhance the clients' mental health. Participants will definitely understand which contemporary psychotherapeutic methods and mindfulness practices can be combined with nature and forest therapy interventions to achieve a generalising and synergistic effect, to bring out the beauty, the goodness and the aesthetics of nature, in accordance with ethical principles. Forest therapy services will be available to healthy and sick members of society, of any nationality, race, religion, gender, beliefs, individuals. Nature and Forest Therapy uses only natural structures found in nature or in the forest, without causing any negative harm to nature or to humans.
This postgraduate university programme is open to all interested students who have a university degree and are seeking knowledge or new skills and competences in the field. Upon completion of this programme, natural therapists will be able to offer their services to ALL members of society, regardless of their nationality, race, religion, gender or beliefs. No paper registration documents or tickets will be used in the session organisation and management system, and business licenses for these activities will also be obtained electronically. Session venues will be accessible on foot, by bicycle, public or private transport. During the session itself, walking will be encouraged to leave no trace of being in nature, not only litter but also sound noise. To ensure that the session is informative and effective, only locally found natural materials that do not have a negative impact on the environment will be used, such as snapped tree branches, fallen leaves, bark and pine cones. The tea ceremony will use reusable utensils and hand-picked local herbs. All this will contribute to the creation of a new model of society: people who understand nature and benefit from its health services. Such people will make a conscious contribution to environmental protection and encourage their children to do the same - doing perhaps the most important work of the present generation.
This initiative is fully in line with the principles of sustainability, coherence and ecology currently being promoted by the European Union and by a conscious global society, and allows us to make the most of nature without damaging it.
Combining the ideas of like-minded lecturers, a working group was created to develop a postgraduate study programme at the University, the programme was approved by the Faculty Council of the University, and the first international conference on Nature and Forest Therapies in Lithuania was organised, where presentations were given by European and world scientists with scientific expertise in this field. The conference attracted over 400 participants. Later on, we founded the Lithuanian Association of Nature Therapy, which unites all those who are indifferent to nature, medicine and science.
Our aim is to provide quality forest therapy services to the public, accessible to all, through the multidisciplinary training of future forest therapists in our postgraduate programme.
Time in nature is rewarding, but society can benefit even more from the special nature and forest therapy practices taught in the LSMU postgraduate interdisciplinary programme. Such practices have a real psychotherapeutic effect, enhancing psychological balance and stability. The essence of nature and forest therapy is to be present in nature and to connect with it through all the senses, taking time to look, listen and feel nature through touch, smell and other senses.
Sometimes it is difficult to find time to go out into nature, especially for city dwellers, but nature is always close by, also in the city. For people from other densely populated countries, Lithuanian cities look like entire parks. You only have to look at them to see that wherever you go, there is almost always greenery around.
Nature therapy can be practised anywhere, including in the city.
Local: In the development of the postgraduate study programme "Nature and Forest Therapy Fundamentals and Health Effects" at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LSMU lecturers, together with lecturers from Kaunas College of Forest and Environmental Engineering and psychotherapists with extensive experience in conducting forest therapy sessions, have teamed up with professionals from their respective fields to develop the only programme of its kind in Lithuania, which is based on evidence-based science and combines the fields of nature, medicine and psychology.
Regional: Together with other like-minded people, we founded the Lithuanian Nature Therapy Association, which brings together people from different professions interested in nature and human health. National: In cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, we have worked with the Lithuanian Ministry of Health to ensure that the Law on Complementary and Alternative Health Care of the Republic of Lithuania approves a subset of forest therapy services in the group of licensed PA services. The PASP Forest Therapy service has been developed and will be available to professionals who meet the requirements set out in the law and who have completed our 480-hour postgraduate course in Forest Therapy.
Europian: consultation and sharing of experience, conference presentation Gisela Immich, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research (IBE)
Gisela IBE, Chair of the Department of Public Health and IBE at the Pettenkofer School of Public Health Ludwig-Maximilians- University Munich, Germany
World: We would like to mention that a separate module on forest therapy was given by Professor Q. Li, known as the author of the popular book "Forest Bathing".
The postgraduate study programme "Fundamentals and Health Effects of Nature and Forest Therapy" has been developed by LSMU lecturers in cooperation with Kaunas College of Forest and Environmental Engineering lecturers and psychotherapists with extensive experience in conducting forest therapy sessions. The postgraduate programme development team brought together professionals in the field - doctors, pharmacists, music and sound specialists, physiotherapists, geriatricians, microbiologists - to create the only evidence-based postgraduate programme of its kind in Lithuania, combining nature, medicine, and psychology, and creating a holistic approach. The programme is taught by a large team of lecturers with extensive teaching and clinical experience. Individual modules explore a holistic approach to human health. Medicinal plants, their composition, quality, safety and scientific evidence are discussed. Antimicrobial effects of phytoncides on the human immune system.
Emphasis is placed on the use of natural factors to improve the health of children and adolescents (barefoot walking, green spaces, aquatic treatments, canitherapy, dolphin therapy, hippotherapy, etc.) We will analyse the effects of nature therapy on the developing immune system, the principles of non-medical support through nature therapy, and focus on the effects of nature therapy on children with behavioural and emotional disorders.
The postgraduate study programme "Nature and Forest Therapy Fundamentals and Health Effects" is the only postgraduate multidisciplinary study programme of its kind in Lithuania, combining nature, medicine and psychology, as well as a holistic approach to human beings as part of the nature. The main aim of the programme is to introduce participants to the latest achievements and possibilities of the application of natural factors and nature and forest therapy in clinical practice, to present innovations in science and practice in this field, to deepen the participants' knowledge in the field of the practical application of natural factors for the purpose of health enhancement, to provide practical skills in the application of nature therapy individually and in groups. The aim is to teach how to assess the dynamics of clinical cases, the results and prognosis of therapeutic effects, and how to use the acquired knowledge in practical activities, allowing to choose the sites of application of natural therapies, to assess them in terms of the effects of natural factors, and to apply the learned methodologies and interventions of nature and forest therapies in a safe and effective way. The postgraduate courses are aimed at professionals with a university degree in a variety of fields and are open to anyone wishing to gain theoretical and practical experience or to enhance their existing knowledge in the field of Nature and Forest Therapy, based on research-based teaching on the effects of natural factors on physical and psychological health. Trained professionals can run the programme and apply the knowledge acquired without any restrictions.
Graduates of the postgraduate course in Nature and Forest Therapy at LSMU will have a general knowledge of psychology, medicine and health psychology, and will know which natural and forest factors can have the greatest positive impact on people's physical and psychological well-being, Students will have an understanding of modern psychotherapy methods and mindfulness practices that can be combined with nature and forest therapeutic interventions to achieve synergistic and cumulative effects; they will gain knowledge of indigenous and introduced plants, ethical behaviour in nature, and will analyse environmental factors and their impact on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of landscapes. They will analyse the principles of Forest Therapy trail design, the methods of nature cognition used in the trails, and will be able to select a site and a trail for Forest Therapy application and reflection.It is clear that we can turn our exploration of nature and the green environment into new skills for society and, as the science-based evidence shows, into health benefits. We are certain that in the future we will increasingly need to turn to nature to look after our wellbeing and health. The new risk factors of civilisation are already posing major challenges in our society: particulate pollution, noise, long sitting times and sleeping less than 6 hours. So, we are sure that in the long term we will try and encourage society to spend as much time as possible surrounded by nature, and that with the right skills we can reap the health and great benefits of the green environment around us. At the same time, we are also seeing a huge increase in the popularity of complementary and alternative medicine. We are pleased that we are the first to discover the synergies between medicine and forest therapies.
It is a university post-graduate study programme designed to train Forest Therapy specialists who will be licensed by law and will provide Forest Therapy services to the Lithuanian society for healthy or ill persons. At the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, we have developed a multidisciplinary postgraduate programme on the basics and health effects of nature and forest therapies, together with like-minded individuals. This programme is open to students with a higher education background and those interested in the synergy between nature, medicine and psychotherapy. The programme is based on best practices from around the world. Although we found them, they did not fully meet our objectives or only partially met the expectations of the medical part. The programme is comprehensive and focuses on the acquisition and development of medical knowledge. We would like to point out that it is to acquire a holistic integrated medicine approach and knowledge, to review the major scientific advances in the field of forest therapy, that is perhaps the greatest expectation of the students who are already enrolled. It is gratifying that a separate module on Forest Therapy was taught by Professor Q. Li, known in Lithuania as the author of the book "Forest Bathing".
The need for this programme has arisen due to the changing conditions of modern life, the increasing disconnection from nature, and the fast pace of everyday life, which affect the physical and psychological well-being and health of the Lithuanian population. Lithuanian society is turning back to the natural environment, and more and more people are spending more and more active time in nature and outdoors.
Since the pandemic, attitudes towards nature have changed, with people visiting parks and forests, exercising more outdoors, gardening and allotment gardening. Our aim is to show our customers the micro to macro worlds of the forest and nature environment that surrounds people and changes every moment, to encourage them to experience nature especially through the senses that usually provide us with little information - touch, taste, smell.
Forest therapy practices are based on being consciously present in the forest, activating the senses, observing and perceiving elements of the environment.
After completing this programme, natural therapists will be able to offer their services to ALL members of society, regardless of nationality, race, religion, gender, or beliefs.
No paper registration documents or tickets will be used for the organisation and management system of the sessions, and business licenses for these activities will also be obtained electronically. Payment will be cashless. Feedback and suggestions on the work of the nature therapy guide will also be provided by e-mail. The locations scheduled for the sessions will be accessible on foot, by bicycle, by public or private transport. During the session itself, the participants will be on foot, taking care not to leave any trace of their presence in nature, not only litter but also audio noise. Only locally available natural materials that do not cause any negative environmental impact will be used to ensure the informativeness and effectiveness of the session, such as broken tree branches, fallen leaves, bark and pine cones. The tea ceremony will use reusable containers and hand-picked local herbs.
I believe that all these things will contribute to the creation of a new model of society - a society of people who understand nature and who benefit from the health services it offers. Such people would make a conscious contribution to environmental protection and encourage their children to do the same - doing perhaps the most important work of the present generation of people.
This initiative is absolutely in line with the principles of sustainability, sustainability and ecology that are currently being advocated by the conscious public in the European Union and the world, and makes it possible to enjoy the full potential of nature without harming it.
This postgraduate programme is in line with strategy for environmental sustainability education: to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to live, work and act in a way that contributes to environmental sustainability; and to integrate sustainability into our learning processes and in all aspects of our activities.
Lifelong learning is particularly important in the multidisciplinary and rapidly developing field of environmental sustainability education, which aims to mobilise and empower all citizens. With the aim of developing the lifelong learning aspect of education for environmental sustainability and personal well-being, the course is open to all those who wish to enrol in the course, regardless of their age, specialisation, or competences, and promotes cooperation between teachers from different disciplines and institutions. This programme contributes to the retraining of future nature and forest therapists and to the training of the public to live in connection and communion with the forest and with themselves and others. Critical thinking, empathy, responsibility and caring are among the competences developed in this programme. These sustainability competences enable learners to be sustainable in their daily lives, to understand complex systems, to take action for health and to become active agents of change.
