“My connection to nature feels deeply etched in my heart, a knowing in my bones that I am part of all that is on Earth. I bow with deep reverence to all the beings of the natural world. I bring them the gift of my presence and attention. I belong in their circle, sitting quietly among them, bearing witness, listening to their whispers, waiting for their slow mysteries to be revealed. I am rooted. Not for my sake alone, but for the sake of all. I’ve heard the call to invite others to remember their own connection….”

Cathy McCauley is a certified forest therapy guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides & Programs (ANFT). Her journey to becoming a guide started well before she could read or write, when she was picking green beans in her backyard, tasting forbidden raspberries from the neighbor’s garden and watching glorious Door County sunsets melt into Lake Michigan.

As a relational forest therapy guide, Cathy holds space in nature for people to experience whatever comes up for them in nature. It may be wonder, joy, grief, awe or even boredom. It is all welcome. Cathy acknowledges that she cannot know what others need—that is an individual experience between the person and the land. She trusts the wisdom that, “The forest is the therapist; the guide opens the door.”

Cathy currently leads children’s groups as a nature educator and also serves as president of the Ela Area Public Library Board of Trustees in Lake Zurich. In the past, she has facilitated groups as a community organizer, workshop leader, and nonprofit board staff member. Cathy is certified in CPR and Wilderness First Aid and carries forest therapy practice insurance. She holds a BA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Most recently she practiced holistic health for more than 10 years, offering therapeutic bodywork and a variety of healing modalities. She is a married partner and mom, living in sobriety, and breaking generational patterns. She creates art, writes frequently and loves to plant native plant and vegetable gardens. Reach Cathy at info@birdsongnatureco.com.