Nature-Based Counselling in Victoria, BC
Outdoor therapy on the trails of the Saanich Peninsula and Highlands
"Nature-based counselling can greatly inspire people to meet parts of themselves they have forgotten, to rekindle a deeper understanding of one's place in the web of life, and to heal from past wounds."
There is a particular kind of healing that only happens outside. The cedars overhead. The slow shimmer of a lake. The soft ground beneath your feet. For many of the people Vanya works with, this is where therapy begins — not in a clinic, but on a quiet trail at Elk/Beaver Lake, with the wind in the firs and a counsellor walking gently beside them.
Nature-based counselling is Vanya Laporte's flagship specialty, drawing on more than 15 years of facilitating deep nature connection and running nature programs across Vancouver Island.
What is nature-based counselling?
Nature-based counselling, sometimes called ecotherapy or walk-and-talk therapy, is psychotherapy that takes place outdoors in living landscapes — forests, lakes, beaches, parks. It is not a hike. It is not a fitness class. It is real, regulated, trauma-informed mental health care, delivered by a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in the kind of setting where bodies and nervous systems are designed to feel safe.
Vanya weaves together the modalities she would offer in an office — Internal Family Systems (IFS), the Hakomi Method, somatic mindfulness, and trauma-informed practice — with the slower pace and sensory richness of being outside.
Where outdoor sessions happen
Vanya conducts nature-based counselling sessions on public, well-groomed trails on the Saanich Peninsula and in the Highlands area of Greater Victoria. Common locations include:
- Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park — gentle, mostly flat 10 km loop; good for all fitness levels, families, and grief work
- Summit Park (Mt. Tolmie) — short walks with a wide horizon; good for perspective and life transitions
- Francis King Regional Park — old-growth Douglas fir and accessible trails; deeply regulating for the nervous system
If you live elsewhere on the Saanich Peninsula or in the Highlands and have a preferred trail, that is also worth a conversation.
Who outdoor counselling helps
Nature-based counselling is particularly well-suited for:
- Families seeking an alternative to office-based therapy
- Adults working with anxiety, depression, burnout, or chronic stress
- People navigating grief and loss who find the open sky easier to grieve under
- Clients with ADHD or sensory sensitivities who regulate more easily while moving
- Neurodivergent individuals who find side-by-side walking less intense than face-to-face talk
- Parents, caregivers, and helping professionals who need to put down the role for a while
- LGBTQ2S+ clients seeking inclusive, affirming, body-positive care
- People reconnecting with the natural world after years of feeling disconnected
Concerns commonly addressed in outdoor sessions include:
What to expect in a session
A typical 75-minute outdoor counselling session might include a slow walk along the trail, a sit-spot beside the water, or simply standing under a tree while you speak about what brought you in.
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
You do not need to be a hiker. You do not need to be "good at" nature. Outdoor therapy is not about reaching a destination. It is about slowing down enough for your nervous system to remember it belongs here.
The modalities woven in
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
With IFS as a framework, you can get to know your different internal parts — the protectors who have worked too hard, the exiles carrying old hurt — and slowly release the burdens they have been holding alone. Many clients find that meeting their parts under cedars softens the work in a way an office cannot.
The Hakomi Method
The Hakomi Method is a mindfulness-based, somatic form of psychotherapy. Outdoors, Vanya creates a supportive relational space where you can explore your beliefs and gain a deeper understanding of who you are and what you need.
Somatic and mindfulness-based practice
Your body is part of every conversation. Nature-based work invites your body to settle and to speak — through breath, posture, gesture, and movement — alongside your words.
A note on weather, safety, and privacy:
- Sessions run rain or shine; Vanya will reach out if the weather is unsafe
- Privacy is supported by choosing quieter sections of trail and using soft voices
- Wear layers, comfortable shoes, and bring water
- Accessibility: parks with accessible trails are available (Francis King has the wheelchair-accessible Elsie King Trail). Please flag accessibility needs at booking.
- Vanya complies with BCACC tele-health and clinical guidelines for outdoor practice
When you might choose telehealth or in-office:
Vanya also offers:
- •In-office sessions at her cottage/office in Victoria, BC (Tuesdays and Fridays)
- •Telehealth sessions via secure video or phone, accessible across British Columbia
Many clients move between formats season to season — outdoors in spring and summer, indoors in heavier rain, online when life is busy. This is welcome and supported.
Investment and Session Details
- 60-minute session$160 CAD
- 75-minute session (recommended)$195 CAD
- 90-minute family session$260 CAD
No GST applied. Counselling receipts available for insurance reimbursement.
Book a free Meet and Greet
Before your first outdoor session, Vanya offers a free 15–20 minute Meet and Greet to help you decide if nature-based counselling feels like the right fit.