Advancing Skills in Nature-Based Therapy: Victoria

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Join us for a deeper, experiential immersion into the possibilities that nature-based therapy can hold for yourself and your clients. Surrounded by the rolling creeks, huge firs, and green ferns of Mary’s Lake Sanctuary, we will play, practice, and grow our capacity to hold and transform emotional pain within this container of connection to self, community and Earth. Be prepared to build community, be self-reflective, practice interventions in role play, and bring your full authentic self.  We hope you can join us!

These modules are designed to build on the theory and core skills learned from the Introductory course, and translate the online learning into embodied practices.  The goal of this training is for participants to leave feeling confident in their ability to draw from a breadth of tools and lived experience when turning to Nature as co-therapist.

The Victoria course can be taken either as Module 1 by itself (June 6&7), or Module 1 and 2 together (June 6-9th).  Both modules are highly recommended if you want to apply this work to groups and children/youth and families.  Module 1 will cover the basic skills related to turning to Nature as co-therapist in your work with adults.

** Prerequisite: completion of Introduction to Nature-based Therapy Course

Next Intro to NBT Course: April 20, 21, & 28, 2023.

The online intro course covers the basics around theory and guiding principles of our approach to NBT, and we will not be reviewing those in the advancing course. We hope participants come with a foundations so that they can dive into the experiential practice in person.    Also, we highly recommend reading our book ahead of the course “Nature-based Therapy, a practitioners guide to working with children, youth and families in the outdoors“.

Module 1: Nature-based therapy foundations 

• Introductions and setting up safe space
• The therapist’s baskets – drawing from your skill sets
• Practitioner’s relationship with nature & embodiment
• Client assessment and Ecological identity
• Sensory awareness & regulation
• Nature as co-facilitator
• Working with mirroring and metaphor

June 6 & 7,  COST: $450  (can be taken alone)

Module 2: Working with youth, families and group process

** This module must be taken with Module 1

• Experiential learning and growth
• Nature awareness with kids
• Risky play,  adventure and bonding with families
• Three stages applied to Children, youth and families (regulation, re-structuring, consolidation)
• Guiding models for group program flow and process
• Weaving in psycho-education with nature connection 
• Solos and sit spots
• Integration and closing

June 8 & 9. COST: $800 for all 4 days (module 2 must be taken with module 1)

** Fee subsidies are available for BIPOC and other current and historically marginalized people. Please contact us to inquire about how we can support you to access this course.

After registering, please e-transfer your full payment to [email protected] (password: Nature) to reserve your spot. Receipts will be issued upon payment.

Instructors:

This course will be taught by founders,  David Segal, MA RCC and Katy Rose, MA RCC, along with a team of support facilitators from the experienced team of counsellors at Human-Nature Counselling.

Camping Information

If you are traveling and need a place to camp, this option is available at Mary’s Lake Sanctuary. The camping area is in a meadow surrounded by Cedars, Douglas firs, and broad leaf Maples. Along with outhouses, there is also access to full washrooms (and shower), and an outdoor kitchen.

Camping costs just $35 for the night, and you will need to complete a separate form, and submit it to Mary’s Lake to confirm camping. Once you have registered for this training, let us know if you are interested in camping, and we will email you the form and details for booking.

Past participants said…

“This workshop is a wonderful opportunity to deepen one’s capacity to build nature connection ethically into their practice, regardless of one’s level of past experience. Katy, Dave, and supporting staff blend intellectual and embodied engagement through a variety of activities fostering exploration, growth, and reflection on individual and group levels.”  participant, spring 2022

“I just wanted to let you both know again how grateful I am to have been able to attend training with you both – it was so inspiring to witness each of your relationship with the land and your passion for this work. I am still processing our time together with the land and what it has meant to me. There are no words at this time that could properly articulate my thoughts and feelings, rather the only description would be something like: ‘ontological shifts in my spirit and sense of being’ (very spiritually powerful place that we were in, along with the impact and influence of the embodied practices).”  – Angela Scott, MA, RCC