A CNIT PROGRAM FOR PARKS, GARDENS, AND COMMUNITIES
Bring Therapeutic Pathways to Your Community
Therapeutic Pathways combines self-guided walks, reflective prompts, guided audio, and facilitated conversation. CNIT adapts this clinician-designed, research-informed program to each partner’s landscape and community.
Piloted at Ladew Topiary Gardens. Refined through participant feedback. Ready for new communities.
Looking to participate at Ladew? View the upcoming Ladew program.
THE BIG IDEA
A walk becomes different when it has a purpose.
Most green spaces already help people feel a little better. Therapeutic Pathways helps people slow down long enough to notice what supports them, what needs attention, and what they want to carry forward.
The program pairs a place-based walking route with a companion workbook, guided audio, reflective writing, mindfulness practices, and small-group conversation. Participants move at their own pace between group gatherings, using features of the landscape as invitations to explore resilience, identity, perspective, boundaries, and care.
Each pathway is shaped by its setting. A mature tree can become a teacher of resilience. A garden threshold can mark the shift from doing to noticing. A pond, meadow, woodland, or quiet bench can open a different kind of conversation.
"The landscape is not a backdrop.
It is part of the experience."
Therapeutic Pathways pilot participant
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
A simple structure, shaped by the place.
The model combines the freedom of a self-guided experience with the connection and support of facilitated gatherings.
Welcome and orientation
The model combines the freedom of a self-guided experience with the connection and support of facilitated gatherings.
Facilitated group reflection
Small-group gatherings give participants space to make meaning, hear different perspectives, and connect what they notice outdoors with daily life.
Six self-guided walks
Participants return on their own schedule for six themed walks using the companion workbook, guided audio, therapeutic tools, and reflective prompts.
Closing circle
​A final gathering helps participants name what has changed, identify practices they want to continue, and carry the path forward.
Program length, group schedule, station locations, and facilitation model can be adapted to the host site. Ladew’s inaugural public program uses a 10-week format with six self-guided walks and four group gatherings.
THEMES PARTICIPANTS EXPLORE
Six walks. Six invitations to notice something new.
The themes remain consistent enough to preserve the integrity of the program, while the landscape examples, station locations, and practical activities are adapted to each setting.
FROM PILOT TO PUBLIC PROGRAM
Built at Ladew.
Improved by the people who walked it.
CNIT and Ladew Topiary Gardens piloted Therapeutic Pathways in spring 2026. Participants described slowing down, finding greater calm, reflecting on important life transitions, and noticing parts of the garden they had previously passed without really seeing.
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Their feedback also improved the practical side of the program. CNIT refined the pacing of guided exercises, workbook navigation, group format, participant comfort, safety guidance, and site logistics before the public launch.
Ladew is now formally introducing Therapeutic Pathways as a 10-week program for adults, combining facilitator-led group sessions with six self-guided walks through the gardens.
“If I wasn’t sitting there quietly,
I would have missed so many things.”
Therapeutic Pathways pilot participant
FROM PILOT TO PUBLIC PROGRAM
CNIT builds with you. Your team carries it forward.
A meaningful pathway cannot simply be dropped into a landscape. CNIT works with each partner to understand the site, the people it serves, staff capacity, accessibility, safety, and the organization’s long-term goals.
Program Design &
Site Adaptation
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Discovery meeting and site walk
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Route and station mapping
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Place-specific prompts and activities
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Workbook and audio adaptation
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Accessibility, risk, and operational review
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Recommendations for seating, signage, maps, and participant flow
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Pilot &
Evaluation
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Training for staff, clinicians, or volunteers
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Program orientation and facilitation guidance
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Participant engagement and safety practices
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Mental Health First Aid options
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Facilitator guides and quick-reference materials
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aunch coaching and ongoing consultation
Facilitator Training & Consultation
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Training for staff, clinicians, or volunteers
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Program orientation and facilitation guidance
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Participant engagement and safety practices
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Mental Health First Aid options
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Facilitator guides and quick-reference materials
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Launch coaching and ongoing consultation
Funding &
Sponsorship Support
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Program budget and scope development
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Grant-ready program language
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Sponsor case for support
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Scholarship and access planning
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Community partnership strategy
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Sponsor recognition planning where appropriate
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CNIT can support funding strategy and help develop a sponsor-ready case. Funding cannot be guaranteed.
WHO THIS IS FOR
A strong fit for places that already bring people together
Therapeutic Pathways may be a good fit for:
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Botanical gardens and arboreta
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Public parks and park systems
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Nature centers and conservancies
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Land trusts and environmental organizations
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Community and neighborhood organizations with access to green space
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Healthcare and wellness organizations
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Veterans organizations
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Grief, caregiver, and older-adult programs
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Colleges, retreat centers, and community campuses
You do not need a formal botanical garden. You do need a safe outdoor setting, organizational commitment, and a willingness to make the experience welcoming and accessible.
WHY CNIT
Clinically grounded. Place-specific. Practical to run.
Clinician-designed
Therapeutic Pathways was developed with mental health expertise, trauma awareness, ethical scope, and participant safety in mind.
Pilot-informed
The Ladew pilot tested both the participant experience and the practical realities of delivering the program in a public garden.
Research-informed
The program draws from research on nature connection, mindfulness, reflective practice, group process, and nature-informed mental health care.
Built for local ownership
CNIT equips local staff, clinicians, or volunteers to carry the program forward, with clear materials and continued consultation when needed.
The model also encourages reciprocity. As people form a deeper relationship with a place, they often become more willing to care for it. Therapeutic Pathways supports both community well-being and stewardship of the natural spaces that hold the experience.
FOR FUNDERS AND COMMUNITY SPONSORS
Help open the path where cost would otherwise close the gate.
Some organizations have the land, community relationships, and desire to offer Therapeutic Pathways, but not the startup funding.
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Sponsorship can support:
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Site assessment and program design
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Facilitator training
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Companion workbooks and audio resources
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Accessibility improvements
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Participant scholarships
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Pilot evaluation and impact reporting
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Optional public Wellbeing Pause stations
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Adaptation for communities with specific needs
Fund one community, underwrite a cohort, sponsor participant access, or help CNIT bring the model to additional regions.
THE PARTNERSHIP PROCESS
From the first walk-through to public launch
1. Explore the fit
We begin with a short conversation about your community, outdoor setting, goals, staff capacity, and funding situation.
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2. Map the experience
CNIT reviews the site and recommends a route, delivery model, program scope, accessibility considerations, and implementation plan.
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3. Build and prepare
We adapt the materials, train facilitators, develop operating guidance, and prepare the organization for a pilot.
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4. Pilot, learn, and launch
The initial cohort provides practical and participant feedback. CNIT helps refine the experience before a wider public launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Therapeutic Pathways therapy?
Therapeutic Pathways is a clinician-designed, nature-informed mental wellness program. It can support reflection, coping, connection, and emotional well-being, but it is not crisis care and does not replace individual psychotherapy. CNIT helps each partner define the appropriate scope and facilitation model.
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Who is the program designed for?
The current program is designed for adults. The Ladew public series is open to participants 18 and older. Adaptations for other populations require separate planning and clinical review.
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Do we need a licensed therapist on staff?
Not necessarily. The appropriate staffing model depends on the intended participants, program language, and level of clinical support. CNIT may recommend facilitator training, Mental Health First Aid, or licensed clinical involvement based on the proposed program.
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Does our site need six permanent stations?
No. A pathway can use mapped garden locations, existing landmarks, removable markers, a companion guide, or a combination of these. CNIT will recommend an approach that fits the site and visitor experience.
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How much can the program be customized?
The setting, route, schedule, logistics, examples, and some activities can be adapted. The core therapeutic structure and CNIT program standards remain consistent.
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What does a partnership cost?
Each proposal is based on the site, scope, customization, training needs, evaluation plan, and level of CNIT facilitation. After an initial conversation, CNIT will provide a clear scope and budget.
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Can CNIT help us find funding?
CNIT can help develop a realistic budget, grant-ready description, sponsor case, scholarship plan, and community funding strategy. Grant awards and sponsorships cannot be guaranteed.
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Who owns the program materials?
CNIT retains ownership of the Therapeutic Pathways curriculum and program materials. Each partnership agreement defines how the host organization may use the materials locally.
Therapeutic Pathways is a program of the Center for Nature Informed Therapy. Program materials © Center for Nature Informed Therapy. All rights reserved.