Outdoor Counselling: What to Expect in Nature-Based Therapy
"Deep nature connection work has allowed me to go from being a 'tourist in the forest' to a mentor that guides others to cultivate a deep understanding and meaningful relationship with themselves, others, and the natural world."
— Vanya Laporte, RCC
There is a particular kind of stillness you can only meet outside. The lake holding the light. The Douglas firs swaying overhead. Your own breath slowing without you having to ask it to. For many of the people Vanya works with, this is where therapy begins — not in a clinic, but on a soft trail at Elk/Beaver Lake, with the wind in the cedars and a counsellor walking quietly beside them.
But what does an outdoor counselling session actually look like? If you are curious about nature-based counselling in Victoria, BC and unsure what to expect, here is a gentle walk-through.
Before we step onto the trail
Every outdoor counselling session begins with a short check-in. Vanya offers a free Meet and Greet beforehand to help you decide if outdoor therapy feels like the right fit. She'll let you know what to wear (layers, sturdy shoes, water), check in about accessibility, and choose a meeting point that suits your needs — usually Elk/Beaver Lake, Summit Park, or Francis King Regional Park on the Saanich Peninsula.
You don't need to be a hiker. You don't need to be "good at" nature. Nature-based therapy is not about reaching a destination or being athletic. It's about slowing down enough for your nervous system to remember it belongs here.
Walking, sitting, noticing
A typical 75-minute outdoor counselling session might include a slow walk along a trail, a sit-spot beside the water, or simply standing under a tree while you speak about what brought you in. Vanya uses a mindfulness-based, somatic, and trauma-informed approach — drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Hakomi Method — so the work happens at the pace of your body, not the clock.
Together you might:
- Notice what shifts in your body as you breathe in cool morning air
- Tend to a part of you that feels anxious, grieving, or overwhelmed
- Practise small "experiments in mindfulness" — Vanya's signature approach — to bring unconscious patterns gently into awareness
- Sit in quiet companionship with a tree, a heron, or the wind
The Healing Benefits of Outdoor Counselling
Vanya has spent over 15 years facilitating deep nature connection and running nature programs. She has watched, again and again, how being outdoors helps regulate the nervous system, soften defenses, and invite the parts of us that often stay hidden in a clinical space to come forward and be cared for.
Many clients find that grief moves more freely under the open sky. That anxiety has somewhere to go when met by moving water. That children and youth, in particular, can talk about hard things while their bodies are busy noticing a banana slug or a sword fern.
A few things to know
- Sessions run rain or shine; Vanya will reach out if the weather is unsafe.
- Privacy is supported by choosing quieter sections of the trail and using soft voices.
- Outdoor sessions are available alongside in-office sessions in Victoria, BC (Tuesdays and Fridays) and telehealth options, so you can mix formats season to season.
- A free Meet and Greet is available so you can ask any questions before booking.
If you're curious
If something in you exhales at the thought of doing therapy outside — under cedars rather than under fluorescent lights — it might be worth listening to that. Nature-based counselling won't ask you to perform; it will ask you to belong. To yourself, to your body, and to the wild world that has been holding you all along.
About the Author
Vanya Laporte is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), Certified Hakomi Practitioner, and Internal Family Systems therapist based in Victoria, BC. She weaves together mindfulness, somatic therapy, and deep nature connection to help clients find their way back to themselves.
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