The Fall 2026 program runs August 31st through December 5th. During this time, each participant completes:
One-to-one time with a highly trained, clinically-supervised, nature-based wellness coach in an outdoor setting.
Small peer group gatherings at key moments in the program arc.
Sessions typically begin with a pickup from your child’s school or home.
The youth will spend time outdoors with their mentor or group, often share a meal together, and return home afterward.
After all of the activities and outdoor time, your child will be dropped off at home filled with stories of new adventures. They will also have gained new insights and built new skills.
Establishing rhythm, safety, and nervous system regulation as the foundation for all other growth.
Developing self-awareness, meaning-making, and the capacity to understand one’s own inner experience.
The entire program is designed to move youth through a range of vital confidence and resilience-building experiences. Each element helps youth grow skills in self-esteem, communication, emotional awareness, connection, and purpose.
for Safety & Belonging
Getting grounded. Arriving, settling in, and feeling at home in nature, with others, and in your own body. Activities build safety, trust, and a sense of belonging.
for Feeling & Acceptance
Finding power.
for Voice & Expression
Speaking up. You find language spoken, written, or nonverbal for what you’ve experienced and who you’re becoming. Activities support creative expression, narrative identity, and communication.
for Integration, Celebration, & Continuity
Roots to Rise’s Fall 2026 Program is a good fit for youth in the San Francisco Bay Area who are ready for structured, supportive care and can benefit from a nature-based, group experience that builds skills, connection, and resilience. It is designed for young people who are navigating the kinds of challenges that many kids face and could use some support doing it.
This program is a strong fit for youth who are dealing with:
This program is particularly well-suited for young people who haven’t responded well to conventional approaches, or who simply need a more hands-on, outdoors-oriented way of being supported.
Your child does not need a diagnosis to participate in our program. They do not need prior outdoor experience. They just need to be willing to show up and try.
We partner closely with existing therapists, schools, and providers, so if your child is already receiving support elsewhere, Roots to Rise can work alongside that care.
Roots to Rise is not a crisis program and is not a substitute for therapy or psychiatric treatment. If your child is currently in a mental health crisis, experiencing active suicidal ideation, or requires a higher level of clinical care, we will work with you to connect them to the right services.
No sessions during Holidays.
Applications are open now. Spots are limited and filled on a rolling basis.
Roots to Rise Fall Program Cost includes:
We believe cost should never be a barrier to healing. Roots to Rise offers a sliding scale fee structure, so families pay what is genuinely manageable for them.
FULL SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. The enrollment application will walk you through next steps. We will do our best to make it work for as many families as possible.
Payment structure:
Cancellation policy: Once enrolled, participants are considered committed to the full program experience. Missed individual sessions do not qualify for refunds or credits. If your child needs to withdraw before completing the program, future scheduled payments will be cancelled — but payments already made are non-refundable. Extenuating circumstances to this policy may be considered at the discretion of the program team.
Transportation and all necessary gear are provided at no additional cost.
For questions about cost, scholarships, or payment plans, contact us.
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 coaches build consistent supportive relationships with young people through weekly outdoor sessions and small groups — exploring parks, coastal trails, and botanical gardens across San Francisco.
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.
Nature-based show multiple benefits, including:
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. Coaches 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. The program is directed by Joody Marks, a Program Director with over two decades of experience facilitating and developing nature-based and experiential wellness programs. Coaches have extensive experience facilitating 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.
Each week, your child’s wellness coach 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.
Group sessions happen four times across the 12-week program at key transition points. They bring together a small group of program participants for peer connection, shared activities, and community-building in nature. Group sessions are approximately 3 hours, offered on weekends, and transportation support is available.
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.
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.
Sessions take place throughout San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area, in places like Glen Canyon Park, the Presidio, Fort Funston Beach, San Bruno Mountain, local botanical gardens, and nearby coastal trails.
The Fall 2026 program is 12 weeks. Extensions are available for young people who would benefit from continued support.
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.
Coaches 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 at [INSERT URL]. We’ll follow up within one week.
Our nature-based wellness coaches 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 coaches 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 coach.
We work closely with existing providers to support continuity of care. Coaches 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.