Groundswell Community Project × Groundswell Institute
Groundswell Surf Therapy™
Provider Training
An Immersive Training for Aspiring & Emerging Surf Therapy Facilitators
A 6-month virtual, practice-based training for individuals ready to bring trauma-informed surf therapy to their own communities.
April – October 2025
Mondays 5–7pm PST
Recordings available for those who cannot attend live.Virtual + San Diego In-Person
Who This Training Is For
If you feel called to hold healing spaces through nature, the ocean, and community, this training is where your next chapter begins.
Actively facilitating or preparing to launch surf therapy programs
Work in mental health, somatics, outdoor education, coaching, or body-based healing
Want deeper guidance, mentorship, and clinical support
Committed to creating brave, culturally responsive, trauma-informed spaces
Believe in healing through nature, the body, and community
Want to join a global network of leaders bringing ocean healing to their shorelines
What You'll Experience
Over six months you'll learn, practice, and embody the full Groundswell Surf Therapy™ model.
Weekly 2-Hour Live Workshops
Co-facilitated by experts in somatic therapy, eco-therapy, Blue Mind research, art therapy, play therapy, and decolonized healing practices. All sessions recorded for flexible access.
Embodied 'Virtual Beach' Sessions
Experience the full Groundswell model from the inside out. Engage in guided surf therapy sessions from a facilitator lens with Q&A to unpack the structure and flow.
Bi-Monthly Small Group Supervisions
Clinical facilitators guide intimate cohort circles to help you apply the model, develop your facilitator identity, and build a supportive peer network. Offered in various time zones to account for our global network.
Personalized Mentorship
Paired with a 'surf buddy' for support, accountability, and practice between sessions.
Program Curriculum Flow
A journey through Spirit, Water, and Earth
Trimester 1 • April – June
SPIRIT
Honoring Our Roots
Learn the foundations that make Groundswell's model healing, safe, and culturally responsive.
Decolonizing therapy & healing practices
Somatics & embodiment
Eco-therapy & nature-based healing
Blue Mind theory
Art & play therapy
Group facilitation & circle work
Trimester 3 • Sep – Oct
EARTH
Planting Seeds of Your Practice
Turn your learning into a living, grounded action plan.
Craft your unique facilitator voice
Draft your curriculum & program plan
Case study integration
Tangible resources & templates
Community launch support
Trimester 2 • July – August
WATER
Embodying Mother Ocean's Medicine
Experiential sessions that let you feel the model in your own body.
Create physical & psychological safety
Build trust & support autonomy
Guide emotional processing
Co-facilitation with diverse leaders
Optional in-person San Diego experience
What You Receive
Certification & Education
Groundswell Surf Therapy™ Certificate
48 CAMFT-approved CEUs
1 year access to recordings
Mighty Networks community access
Ongoing Support
Monthly Surf Therapy Consultation Groups
Research & impact reporting invitation
Waves of Excellence program eligibility
Optional in-person retreat invitation
Ready-to-Use Tools
PDF templates, guides & checklists
Sand & Sea + Surf Therapy for Grief curriculums
Program setup guides
Sample forms & session outlines
Prerequisite: Surf Therapy for Trauma Recovery (Level 1)
Next live training: Sunday March 22 & 29, 9:00am–12:00pm PST
To enroll in the Provider Training, participants must complete Surf Therapy for Trauma Recovery (Level 1) prior to the start of the program. The level 1 training is available self paced online this through this link and offered live virtually on Sunday, March 22 & 29.
Meet Your Facilitator
Learn from experienced practitioners dedicated to ocean-based healing
Natalie Small, LMFT
Lead Facilitator & Founder
Our Lineage
Groundswell Surf Therapy™ has been nourished by a long lineage of healers and water protectors. While surf therapy is a rapidly growing field, the art of surfing waves for community health, healing, and spiritual connection has been practiced around the globe by most indigenous communities.
Groundswell Surf Therapy has been uniquely inspired by the Kumayeey peoples of Southern California, the royal Hawaiian surf wisdom, and the Moche people of Peru whose surf history goes back to 500AD.
We honor and give credit to our foremothers including mother ocean, our greatest teacher.
