Human-Nature Counselling Society (HNCS) is a registered Canadian Charity (#757663133RR0001) based in Victoria, BC that provides both individual and group nature-based therapy and programs for children, youth, adults and families living within our service area. HNCS is a grassroots organization grounded by the synergy between Nature, Connection and Healing.
Our Service Area includes:
Victoria and the Capital Regional District
Duncan and the Cowichan Valley
Squamish and the Sea-to-Sky Corridor
Cortes and Campbell River
OUR MISSION is to enhance the mental health and well-being of children, youth, and families, through the delivery of effective, innovative and low barrier mental health counselling services and programs, through the approaches of Nature-Based Therapy.
OUR VISION is that everyone living within the HNCS service area who strives for mental health and wellness has access to counselling services and programs they can afford, that foster their senses of belonging within family, community and the non-human natural world.
We are pleased to announce that HNCS is now a registered charity! That means your donation in support of our mission is now tax deductible. HNCS is on a quest to make mental health and wellness counselling and programs accessible, affordable, and available to everyone in need. Do YOU want to be a part of our mission’s success, and help improve the mental well-being of hundreds of individuals and families in our communities? If so, kindly click the button below to make a donation TODAY to support this vital work. Thank-you!
David Segal & Katy Rose
Co-Founders
More About HNCS
Our counselling services and programs provide an engaging alternative to traditional office-based talk therapy – turning instead to the Natural World as both our ‘office’, and our co-therapist. Rather than viewing an individual’s problems in isolation, we aim to strengthen our clients’ sense of belonging and relationship with the web of life as an integral part of the process of healing and growth. We view change through a systemic lens, acknowledging the importance of family, community and environment on a person’s sense of well-being. We view each individual as holding inherent value, strengths, wisdom and wholeness – and work creatively to shine a light on the passions and vitality within each person’s story.
We are driven to ensure our services are as accessible and barrier-free as possible by providing sliding-scale fees, and meeting with clients in nearby nature locations across a wide geographic region to accommodate the needs of families/individuals (including throughout the Greater Victoria Area, Cowichan Valley, and the Sea to Sky regions of BC).
In order to meet the growing need for those in our communities who rely on HNCS’s fee-subsidized sliding scale to access mental health counselling, HNCS needs to continuously raise funds to meet the growing demand. In 2022 we were able to offer our counselling services to over 600 individuals and families, impacting over 1500 people (40% of whom are between the ages of 6-12). In total, 5,650 service hours were provided across our group and individual/family counselling programs. Mental Health & Wellness should be available to everyone, not just for those who can pay for the supports they require to get back and stay on track. A monthly donation of just $75 per month is enough to subsidize a family to access Nature-based therapy services who otherwise would have no support when they need it most. Making a charitable, tax deductible donation to Human-Nature Counselling Society makes the difference for hundreds of people in our communities.
We are grateful to be able to continue providing in-person counselling services outside throughout the pandemic as health guidelines allow. Sessions are also available online as needed.
We at Human-Nature Counselling Society acknowledge that we live and work on unceded Coast Salish Territories, specifically the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, the WSÁNEC peoples of the Tsawout, Tsartlip, Tseycum, and Pauquachin Nations, the Malahat Nation, the Hul’q’umi’num’ speaking peoples of the Cowichan, Halalt, and Ts’uubaa-asatx Nations, the Squamish Nation, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and the Musqueam Nation. We are deeply grateful for this opportunity and are committed to supporting Indigenous Peoples to regenerate their lifeways and earthways.
HNCS supports Indigenous-led solutions to healing and acknowledges that an essential part of meaningful reconciliation is to allow Indigenous communities to define and deliver approaches that work for them. Human-Nature (HNCS) has built strong partnerships as settler-allies and are working hard to develop our skills to deliver culturally sensitive programs collaboratively. We recognize that a nature-based approach to healing and mental wellness utilizes an ecological perspective which aligns with many Indigenous worldviews and practices.
Our Services
Counselling
Our team is dedicated to providing you with accessible (affordable) and effective mental health counselling services. With a growing and talented team of clinicians, we will do our best to get you connected with the support you need.
Nature-based Programs
We are passionate about creating accessible, and meaningful group counselling opportunities that bring people together in community and reduce the stigma of mental health – click below to find out our latest offerings!
Workshops
As leaders and authors in the field of Nature-Based Therapy, we are dedicated to inspiring other helping professionals to step beyond the office walls (or computer screen) and into the outdoors with their clients. Check out our upcoming workshops and publications!