Mission of the project

Our renewed International Association of Running Therapists (IART- USA/Canada) exists to advance running/walking‑based therapy as a safe, ethical, and evidence‑informed approach to mental health and embodied well‑being. Building on the pioneering work of Thaddeus Kostrubala, who founded IART in the 1980s to establish clear training standards and practice guidelines, we are committed to honoring that legacy while updating it for today’s runners and clinicians; as a network rather than a governing body, which shares best practices and training opportunities for certification. We carry this global mission into the North American context by helping connect individuals with qualified running therapists, collaborating with allied health and fitness professionals, as well as educating and advocating for our field. We aim to:

• Provide community, mentorship, and continuing education for therapists and other professional practitioners who use running/walking as part of their practice; promoting safe, inclusive, and culturally responsive care for diverse populations.

• Develop resources and help maintain high professional standards for running/walking therapists, including education and ongoing competency for running‑specific knowledge and research-based mental health practice.

• Support research, data collection, and outcome tracking to strengthen the evidence base for run/walking based therapy; promote running therapy as a structured, clinically grounded form of treatment.

• Increase public awareness of running/walking therapy as an accessible pathway to improved mental health, body-mind-spirit holistic wellness, resilience amidst adversity, and quality of life across the lifespan.

Guiding Members in North America:

Mark Lane-Holbert, PhD, Ed. Psych. Faculty, Cert. Logotherapist & Run Walk Talk® Therapist. Galloway Training PD & USATF Coach  RunningAnthro.com

Sepideh Saremi, LCSW, Run Walk Talk® Founder and Licensed Psychotherapist www.runwalktalk.com 

William Pullen, MBACP, Founder of Dynamic Running Therapy® & DRT App, Psychotherapist  williampullenpsychotherapist.com/

Natae Feenstra, PhD, LPC, NCC, School Counselor & Run Walk Talk® Cert. Therapist Therapy-steps.com

Lisa Mills, PLMHC, CHC, CRC. Total Wellness-Walk/Run-Based Therapist, Founder of Healing Strides Program 

Dan McGann (LMHT, Child and Family Therapist- Ontario, Canada), Creator of RxRun Teen Run Therapy Program, Affiliated with Team Unbreakable

International Running Therapist Consultant Members:

Wolfgang W. Schueler, Germany. Cert. Running Therapist (DLZ/IART) and Youth Counselor MA/Dipl. Sozialpädagoge. Author of seminal work on "Youth Running Therapy" & over 200 other RT publications, Instructor at the former German Center for Running Therapy (DLZ): https://www.lauftherapie-vdl.de/

Rachel Reingewirtz, Israel. Cert. Arts Therapist, Coach & Running Therapist  https://www.rachelrun.com/homepage-czgi

*Foundational Work by Running Therapy pioneer Thaddeus Kostrubala, M.D.  http://www.kostrubala.com/running-therapy/