Written by: Gorana Isailović

Among the first in the Balkan region to recognize forest medicine programs in the fields of health tourism and public health was a team of experts for the research and development of wellness and medical SPA programs from the Medical SPA Association of Serbia (MSPAAS).

(MSPASS) is a non-governmental organization that focuses on education, research, and development in the fields of wellness, health tourism programs, as well as programs promoting a healthy lifestyle and environmental protection.

The mission of MSPAAS is education, standardization, and international cooperation in the field of Medical spa programs. The Association’s Scientific Council consists of top experts in medical SPA programs, the use of devices, products, integrative medical techniques, nutrition, physical activity, management, marketing, and traditional medicine. Within the concept of Medical Wellness, the application of knowledge and skills aimed at empowering patients and enhancing the quality of life for healthy individuals (clients) is important.

The Medical SPA Association of Serbia was founded in 2011. In 2014, the Forest Therapy Serbia department was formed within MSPAAS, and since 2018, experts from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Hungary have joined the team. The organization’s work is led by experts from various fields – medicine, forestry, psychology, tourism, architecture, history, gastronomy, ethnology, art, sculpture, painting, graphic design, and many others.

In the upcoming period, the Medical SPA Association team will register a new organization, Forest Therapy South East Europe (Forest Therapy SEE), with the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR Srbije), which will cover the Balkan region. In May 2019, the FTSEE team traveled to Japan for training at the Japanese Shinrin Yoku School, where the team was trained to conduct walks and therapies (certified as a Shinrin Yoku therapist, Forest Medical Specialist, and guide) according to the standards of INFOM – the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine.

The FTSEE expert team is organized by the MSPAAS Scientific Council, with the aim of further engaging its members in the research, development, education, and implementation of knowledge from the field of forest medicine into the concept and programs of public health, health and wellness tourism, and environmental protection.

The training provided by the FTSEE team in the region is for the following levels of competence:

● Forest Medical Specialist, for creating and implementing forest therapy – nature prescription for patients,
● Forest Wellness and Spa Therapist, for implementing forest therapy for clients of forest wellness programs regardless of location,
● Mediator of Forest Medicine – Forest Guide, for implementing forest selfness – wellbeing in the forest for tourists in selected regions.

For the initial training package for mediators of forest medicine, forest guides for a selected area, as well as the first level for forest wellness therapists and forest medicine specialists, we propose a 20-hour training course, consisting of 8 theoretical and 12 practical hours in the field, over 4 days with 5 working hours per day. This training involves 4 certified trainers from the Forest Therapy SEE team, specializing in different areas of forest medicine. The optimal number of participants is 8, ranging from 4 to 16.

After completing the training, participants undertake practical assignments for 6 weeks, and upon successful completion of these assignments, along with theoretical and practical exams, they receive an FTSEE certificate for Training Level I.

For the next level of training – Forest Wellness and SPA Therapist (Level II) – the training also lasts 20 hours over 4 days, with optional modules (traditional massage techniques, forest to plate, tea ceremony, laughter yoga, health qi gong, singing bowl therapy, etc.). Practical assignments are completed over 6 weeks, followed by theoretical and practical exams.

For the next level of training – Level III Forest Medical Specialist who prescribes forest and nature therapy – healthcare professionals with at least a higher education degree are eligible to apply. The training is conducted over 20 hours (4 days of 5 hours each), with a 6-week practicum and a final exam in forest medicine theory and case study presentation.

All trained personnel will be qualified to lead forest therapy walks in public health programs, health tourism programs, team building programs, preventive programs for life and health insurance users, and more.

Forest wellness and spa therapists will be qualified to conduct medical spa and wellness programs in nature, both for patients in rehabilitation centers and for clients of wellness and spa centers. Forest medical specialists will be qualified to implement therapeutic and rehabilitation programs in forest and natural environments for patients with cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mental disorders, metabolic syndrome, malignant diseases, and more. There is a possibility for joint organization of national and international conferences and gatherings for interested parties in the region. There is also a possibility for establishing an educational center for forest medicine in the region. Within the educational center, we propose the creation of a training ground – a forest medicine unit (a forest therapeutic walk with a platform, a health trail, a permaculture garden, a Kneipp path, a sensory garden, and several stations modeled after the calm spaces project).

Training is conducted according to the standards of:
● ANFT – Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs,
● INFOM – International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine,
● ESPA (cure&healing forest) therapeutic forest centers.