Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.  

We ask ourselves, who I am to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?    

~ From "Our Deepest Fear" by Marianne Willamson

Somatic Ecopsychology apprenticeship Program

This apprenticeship program is for you if you want to...

 • Align your work with the healing powers of Nature and the innate wisdom of the body

 • Learn cutting edge therapeutic approaches for city or wilderness work

• Join a community of like-minded colleagues in a transformational journey

• Directly experience the healing potential of Ecotherapy and of Rite of Passage work                                                                                       

THIS PROGRAM IS OPEN TO WOMEN AND MEN.  Groups size is intimate, only seven people total. 

Blending the ancient ceremony of the wilderness quest with contemporary advances in Ecopsychology and mindfulness-based therapy, this one-of-a-kind training is an opportunity to bring Nature into your counseling, coaching or healing work.  With a curriculum informed by the ceremony of the wilderness quest, Ecopsychology, Hakomi®, Somatic Experiencing® and other therapies, we’ll teach you an array of practices applicable to urban or wilderness settings.  Over the course of our time together we’ll form a peer community that will nurture and support your personal growth and professional progress in the field of Somatic Ecopsychology.

This six month long training meets one weekend per month and includes a mid-summer wilderness quest. Some readings and homework assignments will be given across the duration of the training. 

Open to therapists, wilderness guides, coaches and anyone eager to work more somatically or in alignment with Nature’s healing powers, the Somatic Ecopsychology Apprenticeship Program is ideal for people inspired to become ecotherapists or wilderness quest guides.

I co-lead this program with the founder of Wilderness Reflections, Dave Talamo.

Dave Talamo, MFT has over 35 years of experience guiding wilderness trips, works as a therapist with youth and adults, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. He is committed to the expression of joy and authenticity through the body and to helping others experience their own embodied selves in an intimate, ecstatic relationship with Nature.  Currently he spends most of his field time apprenticing new guides and training therapist in the ways of bringing Nature into the therapy process. 

testimonials

"On this Apprenticeship Program I learned about my inherent capacity to be with others. I gained so much confidence in my capabilities and enhanced my desire to continue growing my skill set. I envision myself working with others in the wild in a way that I didn’t know even existed before this. This work is nourishing on a soul level and one that takes me directly to my heart center. I want to live and work for this place, always. And now it feels like I have more of a clear path of how to make that a reality."   ~Aviva Grossberg

"One of the most valuable things I gained from this program is learning the value of groups and their accepting process. The vision quest was certainly impactful. I feel more strength and confidence and feel I have built a positive useful resource within to be able to move more towards what I fear.  Overall, I have built deeper connections with myself, others and nature through a space that is open and safe. This has been such a wonderful experience and probably the most helpful thing I have done so far.  You both were such wonderful guides and you have fine-tuned yourselves and the program so well."   ~Michele Angelini

"Meeting an entire group of amazing people was thrilling and heart-warming.  I appreciated each person in the group and loved and grew from them.  How wonderful to be surrounded, finally, by ‘my’ people, people who were as passionate and inspired by nature as I.  I was inspired by Amy and Dave's effective mixture of poetic mysticism and practical knowledge.  It was helpful to see them work together and the ways in which they complimented and supported one another.  Being gently guided by Dave and Amy brought me more down to earth and allowed a self-love that has remained."    ~Kassie Lennox

"Through this apprenticeship, I gained so much insight about my own life, path, challenges and gifts. On the other side of it's completion, I have such exciting clarity about my work with people, and how it relates to my own healing.  I feel empowered and confident in bringing my voice and my gifts into the world, and it's actually happening; I'm doing more and more of the work that feeds me, being with people in the wild beauty of nature.  My time with this group has brought me closer to the land, closer to the fire in my belly, closer to my heart and all its longings...and my life is in greater alignment because of it."    ~Anna Swisher, TendingtheSacredHearth.com

“My experience with Amy as a leader surpassed my wildest dreams and expectations for learning how to facilitate groups in nature. Her training provides just the right balance of challenge and cooperation, and individual and group work. Amy has an abundance of wisdom and shows that in how she creates a safe container for all to freely participate, and then responds with insight and compassion to the immediate needs of each person without losing sight of the overarching intentions of the program. 

I came away with powerful and inspiring tools for creating new ways of being and thinking as an ally for myself and others and for bridging the gap between the reality of my current self and the ideal of my future self. With the support of the group and Amy, I was able to tap into my own intuition and practice ways of aligning myself to feel more embodied, present and capable of supporting myself and offering support to others in ways that increase their access to new resources within them and around them. I feel grateful for all that I learned and highly recommend Amy if you are looking to bring new insights and skills that will profoundly move you and bring fresh opportunities for connecting to nature and other people. You will be amazed by the wonders this kind of experience can work within you and how it can transform your life.” ~Tera Davis Billes, Embodyleadership.com

“This course had such a big impact on me and it is hard to say just how that happened. One on hand, I can say that I was given the chance to explore and become intimate with my nature through the mirrored relationship to the natural world. I learned about ceremony, quest, council, and am exiting with a tool box of skills that will allow me to guide people deeper into relationship with themselves and the natural world. But on the other hand, this work is very simple. What we really did was: Sit in the dirt, listen to each other, and listen to the natural world. I came to remember that these practices are a basic human need as much as food and water. There is a starved place in our society that is desperate for the space to be quiet, to be reverent, to be wounded, and Amy and Dave tend this space with a love and attention that is incredibly rare in our times—you don’t know you’re aching for it until you’re basking in it. It’s paradigm shifting stuff.”

~Thora Olsen

details

Dates

5 weekend meetings: May 10-12, May 31-June 2, August 23-24, October 12-13 and November 2-3, 2024

Wilderness immersion trip: June 29-July 7, 2024

Where

Marin County, CA (weekends) and Lassen Volcanic or Sequoia National Park, CA (wilderness trip)

FEE

$4,797, including a $500 non-refundable deposit.  Early Bird discount of $400 if deposit paid by December 31st 2023. Payment plans and scholarships are given to those in need on a first come, first served basis. Includes healthy meals and campground accommodations on the wilderness immersion trip.

What you need to provide

Personal hiking and camping gear (list to be provided).

Registration

Contact me to apply for this extraordinary program!  There is an informal interview process to ensure a good fit for this program.  Click here to contact me.