IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription | Partner Program for Medical Practices
The Green Prescription: Bringing Forest Therapy into Everyday Medical Practice
Nature contact and nature connectedness are well-researched resources for health and well-being. IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is a practice-ready program that helps medical practices and healthcare professionals integrate structured preventative health counseling and adherence support into everyday care. Accessible. Time-saving. Safe to implement.
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription | Nature-Based Health Promotion
Forest Therapy Recommended by Physicians
Forest bathing and forest therapy are motivating approaches that build on patients’ own resources, fit naturally into everyday life and can be particularly valuable for stress, sleep problems, depressive symptoms and chronic conditions. Patients are looking for clear, manageable steps that help them make health-promoting changes in everyday life. At the same time, many medical practices would like to incorporate nature-based approaches but are unsure how to do so safely, efficiently and consistently within routine care.
This is where IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription comes in: it goes far beyond simply prescribing a “dose of nature.” It is a structured, practice-ready program that brings forest bathing and forest therapy into preventive health counseling and adherence support – with a clear workflow designed for everyday medical practice.
Patients are at the center:
their symptoms, resources, individual capacity and therapeutic goals. The program is designed for self-guided use in local green spaces, forests and parks.
What you can expect: a ready-to-use concept with standardized recommendations for different indications and patient profiles, designed to be safe and time-efficient for both patients and the practice team.
Would you like to integrate forest bathing and forest therapy into your practice in a structured way?
We would be happy to show you how IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription can work in your practice.
Attractive. Safe. Motivating
At a Glance: Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy in Medical Practice
Nature-Based Therapy: Three Core Components for Medical Practices and Health Professions
- A professional routine-care toolkit with an operationalized 5A strategy and clearly defined process modules
- Patient empowerment through evidence-informed, practical guidance that strengthens self-efficacy and personal responsibility
- High-quality, flexible training for practice teams
How IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription Works for Health Professions
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Medical practices seeking to integrate forest bathing and forest therapy into routine care as a structured approach to health promotion counseling and adherence support.
- Health professionals who want to support patients in evidence-informed health behavior change.
- Practice teams looking to implement nature-based approaches in a time-efficient, team-based, and delegable way.
- Practices with a high counseling load that need a structured, repeatable workflow.
WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM PROVIDE IN MEDICAL PRACTICE?
- A standardized practice workflow for forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) and forest therapy, based on preventive medicine principles.
- A structured counseling and follow-up process designed to fit within existing appointments.
- Support for health-promoting behavior change through clear steps, a 5A framework, materials, and follow-up logic.
- No special infrastructure is required; it can be implemented as a self-guided approach in local green spaces, forests, or parks.
WHAT DO YOU RECEIVE?
- Everything required for structured, sustainable implementation in medical or health practice.
- A clinically grounded framework that makes forest bathing and forest therapy indication-specific, feasible to implement, and adaptable to the patient profile.
- A consistent system tailored to your practice’s requirements, enabling a straightforward start.
- A complete toolkit with practice and patient materials, plus team training aligned with the IM-WALD-SEIN® quality standard.
REFERENCE PARTNERS
- IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is currently being implemented by physicians at Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld. The focus is on therapeutically sound, easy-to-implement recommendations, patient assessment, and a structured follow-up process.
- The aim is to enable patients to use the forest area independently as a forest therapy intervention during treatment-free time and to strengthen self-efficacy and personal responsibility.
- We are happy to facilitate professional exchange with our flagship partner.
Evidence-Informed. Reliable. Practice-Oriented
A Quality Framework Healthcare Professionals Can Rely On
For physicians and other healthcare professionals to reliably recommend nature-based treatments such as forest bathing or forest therapy, more than good intentions are required. IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription translates scientific evidence into a clinically credible, quality-assured framework. The program has been in place since 2019 and is built on proven expertise and practical experience.
Evidence and Scientific Framework
Nature-based interventions such as forest bathing (shinrin yoku) and forest therapy have been scientifically studied. Systematic reviews report significant effects on immune function, stress-related parameters, blood pressure, and psychological well-being, among other outcomes. IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription translates these findings into a practice-ready approach for integrating forest bathing and forest therapy into routine care.
Patient Demand and Clinical Credibility
Many practices are seeing growing patient interest in nature-based treatment approaches. The key is to translate this demand into a clinically credible framework and a reliable, standardized workflow. For this reason, IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is grounded in the international evidence base for nature-based therapy and in guiding principles of preventive medicine.
Experience and Quality
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is an evidence-informed program for medical practices and healthcare professionals that we have continuously developed since 2019. It brings forest bathing and forest therapy into health promotion counseling and adherence support through a structured, practice-ready approach. Accessible, motivating, and designed to strengthen personal responsibility, it supports adherence and continuity.
Proven Expertise and Clinical Reference
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription can be used across different care settings. Together with the
Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld,
we are currently adapting the program for day-clinic use and for self-guided use by inpatients during treatment-free time. This also supports its use in outpatient medical practices and among non-medical health professions.
Transparent. Straight to the point
FAQ: IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription
Here we answer the most frequently asked questions about using forest bathing (shinrin yoku) and forest therapy with IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription. If you would like to clarify whether the program is a good fit for your setting, or if you have questions about implementation, time requirements, or costs, please contact us. We will provide a clear assessment and outline the next sensible steps.
What is IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription?
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is a structured, written recommendation for nature-based preventive measures within medical or therapeutic counseling. It translates forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) and forest therapy into a clear practice workflow with counseling and follow-up logic. The goal is to support health-promoting behavior change in a safe, practical, and motivating way.
What does “Green Prescription” mean in the German healthcare system?
In the German healthcare system, the “Green Prescription” traditionally refers to a physician’s written recommendation for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. It is not a statutory health insurance prescription, but a written recommendation for patients. IM-WALD-SEIN® The Green Prescription builds on this principle and applies it to evidence-informed, nature-based measures in health promotion.
Is IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription a standard medical prescription?
No. IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is not a statutory health insurance prescription or a standard medication prescription.
It is a structured written recommendation for forest bathing and forest therapy within medical or therapeutic counseling. It goes beyond simply recommending a daily dose of nature by providing a structured framework for counseling, implementation, and follow-up.
It supports self-guided practice in a forest, park, or local green space.
How can IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription support health promotion and prevention?
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription can support health promotion as well as primary prevention (preventing disease), secondary prevention (early risk detection), and tertiary prevention (reducing consequences and relapse in chronic disease).
Depending on the patient profile, it provides a structured recommendation for nature-based routines within medical or therapeutic counseling. The key is individualized assessment and a practice-oriented approach.
Which patients is IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription suitable for?
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is suitable for patients who may benefit from nature-based measures and are willing to integrate health-promoting behavior changes into everyday life. Typical contexts include stress, sleep problems, depressive symptoms, and chronic complaints, where motivation, self-efficacy, and continuity are particularly important.
Recommendations are tailored to the patient’s resources, risks, and everyday circumstances. The program supports this with indication-specific, practice-ready materials.
How do patients benefit from IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription?
Patients benefit from clear, feasible steps that support health-promoting routines in everyday life. This is especially helpful in situations where motivation and self-efficacy are central, such as stress, sleep problems, depressive symptoms, and chronic complaints.
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription translates the physician’s recommendation into practical, motivating exercises and provides the materials needed for self-guided implementation, helping patients use the positive effects of forest and nature contact consistently.
How much time does implementation take – and how does a practice get started?
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is designed to fit into existing appointments and does not require separate consultation sessions.
Getting started typically involves a compact onboarding process, clear team roles, and a structured counseling and follow-up workflow. This makes implementation time-efficient, team-friendly, and manageable in routine practice.
What exactly do physicians and healthcare professionals receive?
IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription provides a complete toolkit with practice and patient materials, along with team training aligned with the IM-WALD-SEIN® quality standard. In other words, practices receive a quality-assured framework for structured, sustainable implementation.
The program is built on a clinically grounded framework that makes forest bathing and forest therapy indication-specific, feasible to implement, and adaptable to the patient profile. It is tailored to the requirements of medical and health practice and enables a straightforward start.
Does it need to be a specific forest, or would a park also be suitable?
No. It does not need to be a specific forest. A park or local green space may also be suitable, and in some cases even a garden.
What matters most is that the setting is accessible, feels safe, and is acceptable for the patient. IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is not tied to a specific location and can generally be implemented in any suitable forest or park, depending on the patient profile and the planned format (individual, pair, or group-based).
What are the costs of introducing IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription, and are there self-pay options?
The cost depends on the scope of collaboration and the service package selected.
As IM-WALD-SEIN® Green Prescription is not covered by statutory health insurance, the related counseling can be offered as an optional self-pay service (for example, as an IGeL service in Germany). Billing is handled directly with patients on a self-pay basis.
We are happy to discuss suitable billing pathways with you and identify a model that fits your setting.