Forest Therapy Victoria

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Forest Therapy Victoria

Health and well-being in nature

16/09/2026

We've got an EXTENDED Forest Therapy event this coming Saturday at Eagles Nest in the Dandenongs.

This event combines an easy 4km bush walk through the eucalyptus forests and tree fern gullies in the heart of the Dandenongs, with a series of mindful, sensory and creative forest therapy activities.

Our guide for the day is Laura Cox, a qualified counsellor, outdoor adventure therapist, and lead guide with Forest Therapy Victoria. Her unique style is gentle and fun, encouraging an openness to whatever the forest has to offer.

Join us for five hours under the trees!

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/extended-forest-therapy-experience-eagles-nest-picnic-ground-olinda-lcx-tickets-1992464289325?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/09/2026

We got washed out last week, so let's try again!

This Saturday, 12th September at 9:30am, join us and the Zorali Outdoor Club for three hours of Forest Therapy at Eagles Nest in the Dandenongs.

Generously sponsored by Zorali, this event is only $40 and is led by our fabulous Forest Therapy Victoria guide Laura.

Use the link below to sign up.

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1977356691092?aff=oddtdtcreator

We'll see you under the trees!

02/09/2026

For those of us that experience a deep connection with nature, Wendell has often been able to put feelings and experiences into words in a way that we couldn’t.

Thank you for your words. Rest in peace.

30/08/2026

It was a beautiful "almost spring" morning in the Dandenongs last Saturday morning.

Every so often we give one of our sessions a theme. For this walk, the theme was learning to use nature to manage high sensitivity.

Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) make up about 20% of the population. High sensitivity is a personality trait, not a flaw or a defect, but it does present some challenges in our culture. Because a HSP has a super charged central nervous system, they can be easily overstimulated or overwhelmed in every day situations.

Nature is an important part of regulation for the highly sensitive person.

Here's a snap shot of some of the things we did during our three hours under the trees.

Note: For more information about high sensitivity, visit www.highsensitivity.com.au)

25/08/2026

* Forest Therapy Event *

Using Nature to Manage Your High Sensitivity
Eagles Nest Picnic Ground, Olinda
Saturday 29th August, 20269:30am - 12:30pm

TO book: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/using-nature-to-manage-your-high-sensitivity-eagles-nest-olinda-mg-tickets-1992474362454

Join us for three hours of nature based activities designed to enhance the wellbeing of the Highly Sensitive Person.

Matt Glover is the Lead Guide at Forest Therapy Victoria and the director of MGA Counselling Services. He is a trauma informed counsellor, working with individuals and couples to achieve a full and abundant life. He is Australia's first qualified counsellor to be accredited with the International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance.

This walk is designed for those who have recognised the high sensitvity personality trait within themselves and are wanting to learn how to use nature to fill the HSP tank.

Along with Erica Webb, Matt is the cofounder High Sensitivity Australia, an organisation to promote awareness and understanding of high sensitivity. For more information, see www.highsensitivity.com.au.

Join Matt for a time of healing under the trees.

19/08/2026

Memory 4: Forest Song

(This is part of the ‘Five memorable moments in the counselling room’ series)

I have been taking my clients outside for sessions for over a decade now. The results my clients achieved were unexpectedly good, and eventually this led to the formation of Forest Therapy Victoria.

Once FTV was formed, people started to request outdoor sessions more often, with some never setting foot inside the therapy room at all.
A few years back a woman came to counselling to do some work on childhood trauma. Her story was complex and difficult, but she was determined to get on top of it and stop the paralysis she was experiencing in everyday life.

We had a few sessions in the rooms to begin with and charted out a course of trauma treatment that would take the better part of 18 months. This included doing some nature-based regulation work.

We had weekly sessions for a while and then decided to do our first outdoor session.

I was seeing this client at my counselling rooms in Warrandyte. Despite its proximity to the city, Warrandyte is often seen as a country town, surrounded by a State Forest on one side, and the Yarra River on the other. The eucalyptus trees tower above you, kangaroos are frequent companions, the sound of the water cascading over the rocks is calming, and if you are lucky, there is the thrill of seeing a platypus out looking for lunch.

I walked with my client to the State Forest, only about five minutes from the counselling room. It was a Spring afternoon. The sun danced between the leaves. As we sat on some logs, our patch of forest was quiet and still.

We started to do some of the regulation work, but then my client when quiet.

She looked down for a moment.

She looked up and asked, “Is it ok if I sing?”

It sounds cliched to say she had the voice of an angel. But she did.

She sang a song that I didn’t know. But that didn’t matter. It felt that I faded into the background and was given permission by nature to simply observe. She was bathed in sunlight. I could see little insects buzzing around her. The trees seemed to lean into her. Birds started to land on the branches above her. Two kangaroos came out of the bush and stood by her and listened. It all felt very surreal. The forest gathered to listen to her sing.

She finished her song and the forest went on its way.

My client smiled and said she hadn’t felt peace like this for years.

But to this day I think that experience still had a more profound impact on me than it did her.

18/08/2026

* Forest Family (NP4K) Event *

Urban Forest, East Malvern
Sunday 23rd August, 2026
9:30am - 12:30pm

To book: https://events.humanitix.com/forest-family-event-urban-forest-malvern

Connect, Play & Explore—Together

Our Family Nature Play Sessions are a chance to step away from the busyness of everyday life and reconnect; with nature and with each other.

Designed as a semi-structured 2.5-hour experience, these sessions invite children and their caregivers to explore, create, and play side by side in a relaxed, supportive outdoor environment. Whether you join in the play, observe, or simply enjoy being present, there is space for every family to engage in their own way.
At the heart of our program is connection between children and caregivers, within families, and with the natural world. Shared play, exploration and outdoor experiences help strengthen relationships, build trust, and create lasting memories.

Nature supports not only physical development, but also emotional wellbeing as being in nature with curiosity, enthusiasm and observing with our senses can calm our nervous system and support emotional regulation. Nature invites us to slow down and tune in. Through sensory experiences, feeling textures, listening to birds, and observing details, families can become more present and connected to the moment.

There is no pressure to participate in any particular activity—this is a space to simply be, together.

Address

148-150 Yarra Street
Warrandyte, VIC
3113

Website

http://www.foresttherapyvictoria.com.au/

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