With 12 individual sessions and 5 group gatherings, Roots to Rise provides both personalized support and opportunities for shared experience and community. The result is a steady, developmentally sequenced journey that helps young people feel more regulated, connected, and capable in their lives.
Sessions happen in places like Glen Canyon Park, the Presidio, Fort Funston Beach, and San Bruno Mountain. Your child will explore, reflect, move, and connect — with the natural world, with their mentors, and with a small group of peers walking a similar path.
This is not traditional therapy. It’s something different: a structured, evidence-informed program that uses the proven healing power of nature alongside skilled mentorship to help young people build the inner resources they’ll carry for life.
Transportation and gear are provided. Full scholarships are available. No family is turned away due to cost.
Joody Marks
Director of Nature-Based Programs / Roots to Rise Program Director
Joody Marks is a key architect of Roots to Rise's nature-based curriculum, ensuring it aligns with evidence-based practices and Edgewood's spectrum of care. Drawing on her background in managing health equity initiatives, community mental health, wilderness guiding, and somatic approaches, she leads the development and implementation of Roots to Rise's nature-based wellness model, coordinating stakeholders, including research, clinical, outdoor, program, and administrative teams to deliver equitable, transformative care.
Mackenzie Kingston
Roots to Rise Program Manager
Mackenzie Kingston is drawn toward working with young people in order to create more equitable, welcoming spaces for growth, inclusion, and curiosity. After graduating from Connecticut College with a bachelor's degree in behavioral neuroscience and a double-minor in environmental studies and anthropology, she worked with newcomer and refugee youth in Oakland and recently developed a nature-based wellness program for that organization. Always feeling the pull of the mountains, she lived in Truckee, California, working as a nature-based therapeutic mentor and assistant director for Sierra Experience. Mackenzie is dedicated to sharing her love for our outdoor spaces through advocacy, adventure, and authentic connection.
Zack Simon
Nature-Based Wellness Mentor
Zack Simon is a clinical psychology post-doctoral student with over 7 years of experience in mental health care and case management who is committed to providing a therapeutic environment that positively influences a directional tendency toward growth, healing, and overcoming hardship. His area of research aims to inform mental health services that enhance the social and mental well-being of African American men and children. He believes improving how underserved communities and people in need of care engage in mental health care services is essential to sustainable growth in our society.
Rune Simmons
Sr. Nature-Based Wellness Mentor
Rune Simmons is passionate about empowering young people through movement and contemplative practice. He grew up in Richmond, California, surrounded by a steady stream of international musicians and artists. At East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, he works with young people teaching Capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian artform rooted in social justice), and mentors high school seniors through the college application process. After graduating from UC Berkeley with majors in psychology and economics, he spent six months backpacking through India and Nepal, balancing solitary time in the mountains with deepening his understanding of the cultural roots of his meditation practice.
Dr. Nooshin Razani, MD, MPH
Founder & Director, UCSF Center for Nature and Health
Dr. Razani is a pediatrician, researcher, and founder/director of the UCSF Center for Nature and Health, where she leads clinical and research initiatives linking time in nature to improved child and family wellbeing. An Associate Professor at UCSF and a nationally recognized “Nature Champion,” she has spent over two decades helping healthcare providers and public systems integrate nature-based interventions into standard care, with a particular focus on families in under-resourced communities.
Susan Andrien, LMFT
Founder, Hope Reimagined
Susan Andrien is a clinician and organizational leader with more than 25 years of experience providing trauma-responsive mental health services in communities heavily impacted by violence and systemic inequities. She is the key architect and designer of Roots to Rise's nature-based curriculum. As founder of Hope Reimagined and a clinical leader at youth-serving organizations such as Destiny Arts Center, she integrates somatic, movement, and nature-based practices into culturally responsive care, supporting multigenerational healing and resilience for young people and caregivers.
Below are frequently asked questions that can be used to assess whether a young person and their family will get the support they need from Roots to Rise.
Roots to Rise is a nature-based mentoring and wellness program for youth ages 8–25. Trained, clinically-supervised wellness mentors build consistent supportive relationships with young people through weekly outdoor sessions and small groups — exploring the incredible parks, trails, and natural spaces across the Bay Area.
The program combines the proven benefits of time in nature with evidence-based social-emotional support to help young people build resilience, confidence, and healthy coping skills.
Yes. The curriculum draws on three integrated frameworks: the Forest Therapy Hub’s Liquid Interactions Model, Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, and Susan Andrien’s Neuro-Somatic Integration framework. The program is designed in partnership with UCSF Center for Nature & Health and will be formally evaluated for outcomes. Research consistently shows that nature exposure reduces stress hormones, improves mood and emotional regulation, and increases engagement and resilience — particularly among young people.
Research on nature-based programs show:
Roots to Rise is not a clinical therapy program. It’s a structured wellness and mentoring program — one that uses the therapeutic power of nature and consistent mentorship to build skills and resilience. It can be helpful for young people who haven’t responded well to traditional clinic-based settings, or who simply do better when they’re moving, exploring, and engaged with the world around them. Mentors work closely with existing therapists and providers when applicable, so it can complement — rather than replace — clinical care.
Roots to Rise is a program of Edgewood, one of the Bay Area’s most established youth mental health organizations, serving children, youth, and families for more than 175 years. This program is run by a non-clinical team made up of passionate and caring professionals whose mission is to provide alternative opportunities for youth to find mental health support through connection to our natural world. Get to know the Roots to Rise Team here.
Each week, your child’s wellness mentor picks them up from home or school and heads out to a natural setting — a local park, beach, trail, or garden. Sessions unfold through a gentle arc: a grounding arrival practice, a nature-based activity designed for that week’s curriculum phase, time for reflection and conversation, and often a shared meal. Sessions are approximately 3 hours. Your child is returned home afterward.
Similar to individual sessions, your child’s mentor will pick them up from home or school, along with the other members of the group and together, they will all explore a local outdoor area while participating in grounding practices and nature-based activities for that week’s curriculum phase. Members of the group will have space to share and reflect on what is going on for them personally, offering opportunities to cultivate connections and belonging amongst each other. Sessions are approximately 3 hours, and your child is returned home afterward.
Monthly daylong adventures are a way to deepen current and past participants’ connection to nature through longer group sessions that take place in natural spaces that are a little further from their local stomping ground. Each day follows the same gentle rhythm as our weekly sessions: a grounding arrival, time outdoors with hands-on activities that fit the day’s setting, a shared meal, and a chance to reflect together before heading home. Adventure Days are optional and a great way to meet others, try new places, and keep the connection going.
Activities vary across the five phases of the curriculum and are always tailored to each young person. Many activities involve gentle movements, sitting, art, journaling, and moseying. None of them require prior experience or athletic ability. They’re simple, sensory, and often quietly powerful.
The Roots to Rise program is for:
If your child does not meet this criteria, please send us an inquiry or give us a call to discuss.
Not at all. Activities range from gentle sensory walks to more active movement, and mentors always work at each young person’s pace and comfort level. Walking distance and pace are slowed and adjusted, as needed. For those who feel the need to ‘work it out’ a bit more, physical challenge can be encouraged. Transportation and all necessary gear are provided. No prior outdoor experience is needed.
Parent or guardian consent is required for youth under 18. Caregivers are encouraged to participate in the intake process and periodic check-ins. The program works best when families are engaged as partners, though intensive caregiver participation is not required.
Young people are matched with wellness mentors who share similar backgrounds, lived experiences, and interests. The intake process is designed to ensure a strong fit from the start, setting the foundation for authentic connection.
Mentors often connect with families at the end of sessions, and periodic check-ins are part of the program.
Fall 2026: Youth ages 10-14 living or attending school in San Francisco and neighboring counties.
Our Fall program is a good fit for youth who are ready for structured, supportive care and can benefit from a nature-based, group experience that builds skills, connection, and resilience. Participants may be working through anxiety, low mood, stress, social and connection challenges, family stress, cultural identities, emotion regulation skill-building, and a reluctance to engage with traditional clinic settings.
Winter 2027: Youth ages 8 to 25 living or attending school in San Francisco and neighboring counties.
Our Fall program is a good fit for youth who are ready for structured, supportive care and can benefit from a nature-based, group experience that builds skills, connection, and resilience. It’s also a good fit for those who need more than a general wellness program but do not require intensive or inpatient care. Participants may be working through mild to moderately severe levels of anxiety, low mood, stress, social and connection challenges, family stress, cultural identities, emotion regulation skill-building, and a reluctance to engage with traditional clinic settings.
If you are interested in receiving detailed enrollment information about any upcoming programs, please send us an inquiry and we will follow up as soon as program enrollment information is available.
Parent or guardian consent is required for youth under 18. Caregivers are encouraged to participate in the intake process and periodic check-ins. The program works best when families are engaged as partners, though intensive caregiver participation is not required.
Young people are matched with wellness coaches who share similar backgrounds, lived experiences, and interests. The intake process is designed to ensure a strong fit from the start, setting the foundation for authentic connection.
The 12-week program (including 12 (3 hr) 1:1 sessions and 4 (3 hr) group sessions) costs $3,960.
There is a sliding scale and scholarship program. The program also provides any gear needed for outdoor activities.
Fill out the inquiry form on this page, or contact us directly by email or phone. Referrals are also accepted from schools, healthcare providers, and other youth-serving organizations.
We will send a detailed application questionnaire by the end of May 2026.
Nothing. All gear and equipment needed for outdoor activities is provided by the program, at no additional cost.
We understand that circumstances can change. If your child withdraws before completing the program, any future scheduled payments will be cancelled. However, payments already made — including the enrollment deposit — are non-refundable. Please contact us as soon as possible if your situation changes so we can work with you.
Complete the online application. We’ll follow up within one week.
Our nature-based wellness mentors have extensive experience facilitating trauma-informed youth wellness in outdoor settings. They are clinically supervised and trained by Susan Andrien in Forest Therapy’s evidence-based interventions and Neuro-Somatic Integration, undergoing rigorous preparation in nature-based facilitation, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed care. All mentors are supervised by a licensed clinical professional.
Matching is thoughtful and individualized. We consider shared interests, background, and lived experience to help your child build early rapport and connection with their mentors.
We work closely with existing providers to support continuity of care. Mentors connect with therapists, teachers, and other members of a young person’s support network — with appropriate consent — to ensure that Roots to Rise complements rather than disrupts the care they’re already receiving.
Great — Roots to Rise is designed to work alongside clinical services. Participants can be concurrently enrolled in outpatient therapy, school-based support, or wraparound programs. We coordinate care so that everything aligns in the same direction.