WORKSHOPS

2026

 

 

Tending the Hearth: A Nature-based Program for Caregivers

Tending the Hearth: A Nature-based Program for Caregivers, Leaders and Stewards

Are you someone who takes care of others in your work and/or life? Perhaps you hold spaces for others, work with kids/youth, are a parent or guardian, a helping professional, a teacher/mentor or leader? We have designed these sessions to tend to the ones who tend to others!

Join other space holders in this program series facilitated by counsellors Vanya Laporte, RCC and Zoë Eakle, RTC.

There is often an overwhelming amount of pressure and information about what it means to care for others. In these unique, therapeutic programs our counsellors, Vanya and Zoë will offer folks a community space to be held with compassion and inspiration.
Their aim is to empower participants to trust in themselves as well as the natural world, with a focus on bonding and belonging. Participants will be invited to engage in core practices that have been supportive to Vanya and Zoë’s own healing paths as space holders.

This group program could be for you if you are longing to deepen your connection to the natural world within a supportive group and to learn and practise more meaningful, life-sustaining ways of being one who cares and tends to others.

In these 1-day programs we will explore the following themes and practises:
-Therapeutic Games, Activities and Crafting
-Somatic Attunement & Regulation
-Ritual and Ceremony
-Plant Wisdom
-Seasonal Awareness
-Belonging and Reciprocity
-Cultural Contexts
-The Art of Questioning
-Sharing and Listening in Circle

You can sign up for 1 or multiple group sessions (October 2025 – April 2026 *10% discount if you sign-up for all 5).

Each workshop we will invite fun games, somatic practices, nature based activities, time around the fire to share our stories, and an opportunity to get in touch with plant allies, to find what is emerging both inside and outside ourselves! Seasonal teas & treats will be provided each session.

This series is designed with a through-line & an experiential arc, as you journey through this potent time of the year. We will tap into our deep remembrance of the seasonal gifts that are inherent within our bodies and by extension our lives as caregivers and/or stewards.

If you choose to do just one session however, each session is a complete workshop within itself.

“Deeply grateful for this program. As an educator and parent, I’ve felt an enrichment of my soul and a playfulness emerge in my parenting style. This program has really supported me as I weather the highs and lows of parenting in these wild times. Staying a while to be grounded, to notice, to embrace other’s ways of being. To learn from each other has been a gift that I wouldn’t have received in any other way in my day-to-day existence. A profound and unique experience, to be inspired for all my days to come!! With deep gratitude to the most thoughtful leaders of this gathering.”
– Previous Tending the Heart Participant

Workshop Details:

Fee per session: $160 +gst *10% discount if you sign-up for all 5 sessions
*You may request a receipt to get reimbursed by health insurance for counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor

Dates: 10:30am – 4pm. October 19, 2025; November 16, 2025; February 8, 2026; March 15, 2026 and April 12, 2026.

Location: Francis King Park, Victoria, BC

Questions? contact vanya.laporte(at)gmail.com

The Grounding Grove: A Somatic Consult Group for Therapists

A 6-session experiential circle for therapists working with the wisdom of the body.

In this supportive group, we’ll come together as somatic practitioners to share our clinical
experiences, deepen our skills, and grow in community. Rooted in a spirit of curiosity and
collaboration, this space is designed for those who integrate body-based approaches into their work, and are seeking nourishment, reflection, and connection.

Throughout our six-month journey together, we will interweave somatic, nature-aligned, and transpersonal frameworks to support deep, embodied exploration. Many of our clients come with a longing to feel part of a larger ecology of mutual support, yet often struggle to know how to connect with that desire. Together, we will engage in practices that nurture embodied wisdom
and a felt sense of belonging within the greater web of life, honouring somatic inquiry as a living, emergent process—an ongoing journey of participation and discovery for both our clients and ourselves.

Each session will offer time to:
 -Explore embodied themes and processes together
 -Bring forward client cases or clinical questions
 -Receive thoughtful feedback and somatic reflections
 -Support each other’s growth in an open, engaged circle

This is not a training or a lecture series — it’s a space to practice being with, to listen deeply, and to let the wisdom of the body and the group unfold.

Whether you’re newer to somatic work or have years of experience, you’re welcome here!

6 sessions | 1xs a month October-March, 10:30 am- 12:30 pm on 1st Tuesday of the month.

Dates: 2025/26 group under way, pls reach out for 2026/27 dates that will start in the Fall of 2026 .

Format: Experiential, process-based, peer consult style

Who it’s for: Therapists and counsellors with a foundation in somatic modalities

Cost: $600 or we can set up a payment plan for several payments.
*Receipts can be offered for health insurance benefits.

Co-facilitated by somatic therapists Sarah Nakatsuka, who is a Master Therapeutic Counsellor (MTC), Registered Counselling Supervisor (RCS) and a Certified EFT Therapist and by Vanya Laporte, who is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Supervisor and a Hakomi
and Internal Family Systems Practitioner.

IFS and Nature-Based Therapy Unite!

IFS and Nature Based Therapy Unite!
A Consult Groups for Therapists

This has been a niche I have been exploring and co-creating with my clients over the past years. I love to sharing what I have learned with folks who are keen to discover the principles of IFS and learn how it promotes self-discovery and healing while working in combination with outdoor, nature based therapy concepts!

It will be useful for you to have a basic understanding of “parts works”, aka IFS, and Nature-based therapy. If IFS is completely new to you then please first read one or more of Richard Swartz books and/or take a basic training like the Stepping Stones course from IFSCA. And then join us the following year as I do offer this consult group a couple of times a year.

Over 6 sessions I will guide the group through the integration of IFS with nature-based counselling, highlighting the transformative impact of connecting with nature on the therapeutic process. We will have space to practise these concepts and time to explore specific cases and clients that you each have, to brainstorm ideas and interventions using the intersection of NBT with IFS practises.

Whether you’re a seasoned counsellor or curious about innovative approaches, these sessions offer valuable insights to enhance your practice. Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into the dynamic intersection of IFS and nature in counselling!

In Person: Dates TBD. Please reach out if you want to learn more about this consult group opportunity.

Fee: $375 for 6 sessions, can pay in instalments. 

Consult Group: Depth, Dignity, and Care in Exile Work

5‑Week Consult Group: Depth, Dignity, and Care in Exile Work

This 5‑week consult group is for therapists who want to continue building skill, confidence, and tenderness in working with vulnerable parts—often called exiles—within ourselves and our clients. Together, we will slow down, listen deeply, and practice ways of being that support safety, dignity, and relational presence when exiles come forward.

This group is grounded in the understanding that our capacity to accompany clients’ most tender parts is inseparable from how we relate to our own. Through somatic, nature‑based, and transpersonal lenses, we will cultivate greater awareness, resourcing, and compassion—both personally and clinically.

What This Group Offers

  • A supportive, collaborative consult space with fellow therapists
  • Guided experiential practices to deepen embodied and relational presence
  • Opportunities to bring real clinical material for reflection and feedback
  • Skill‑building around pacing, titration, and nervous system awareness
  • Practices that honour both human and more‑than‑human sources of support

Our Approach

Each session will weave together:

  • Somatic awareness – tracking sensation, impulse, and nervous system states
  • Nature‑based practices – drawing on seasonal rhythms, metaphor, and land‑based wisdom
  • Transpersonal perspectives – welcoming meaning, imagination, ritual, and expanded ways of knowing
  • Consultation and dialogue – learning through shared inquiry and collective wisdom
Rather than focusing on techniques alone, this group emphasizes how we are with exiles: our presence, pacing, humility, and capacity to stay connected when vulnerability is near.
Important info: 
Online times/dates: 9:30 am- 11:30 am PST: March 2nd, March 16th, March 30th, April 13th and April 27th
Fee: $375 (installments and counselling receipts available if needed)
Email: Vanya for more info or to register: vanya.laporte(at)gmail.com

Gratitude & Praise: A Nature Connection Workshop for the Soul

Gratitude and Praise: A Nature Connection Workshop for the Soul

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook the simple, profound power of gratitude and praise. These practices help us anchor ourselves in the present moment, shift our perspective, and deepen our connection not only to ourselves but to the natural world around us.

If gratitude is part of your lifestyle or you’re brand new to gratitude practises I invite you to join us for an immersive, outdoor workshop designed to re-awaken your senses and cultivate a mindful practice of acknowledging the beauty and abundance in your life and the environment.

In this nature-focused session, we will:

  •  Mindful Walking: Engage in sensory practices to slow down and observe the details of the natural landscape.
  •  Guided Reflection: Participate in exercises designed to shift focus toward appreciation and abundance.
  •  Expression of Praise: Discover ways to articulate and express gratitude for the environment and life’s gifts.
  •  Community Connection: Share space with others seeking intention and presence.

Step away from the screens and step into the green space. Let the outdoors be your classroom and guide as we practice being truly present and thankful.

Workshop Details:

  • Date: March 2nd, 2026
  • Time: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm PST
  • Location: Outdoor location in Victoria, BC (Specific location TBD upon registration)
  • Registration: $75 etransfer *counselling receipts provided upon request

The Heart’s Lineage Reclaiming The Feelings Our Ancestors May Have Left Behind

The Heart’s Lineage

Reclaiming The Feelings Our Ancestors May Have Left Behind

Most of us carry a story we didn’t write. For many of our ancestors, survival meant “powering through,” staying silent, using humour, or cutting off from their deepest emotions to endure the hardships of their time. While this helped them survive, many of us have inherited a legacy of emotional distance—a sense that our feelings are secondary, or even a burden.

It is time to remember that your feelings are your greatest compass.

I invite you to The Heart’s Lineage, a transformative workshop designed to plant some seeds and ideas around where our emotional disconnect may have began and how we can consciously bring feeling back into our lives today.

In this workshop, we will:

  • Hear a Powerful Story:Vanya’s legend about Emotional Cut-off
  • Acknowledge the Gap: Honor the survival mechanisms of those who came before us without letting them dictate our present.
  • Reclaim the Heart:Practice tools to reconnect with your emotional body as vital sources of wisdom and vitality.
  • Restore the Flow:Begin a new emotional legacy for yourself and the generations to come.

Your emotions are not an inconvenience; they are your inheritance. Let’s gather to thaw the silence and reclaim the importance of the feeling heart.

Workshop Details:

  • Date: March 31st, 2026
  • Time: 4-6pm PST
  • Location: Online, Zoom link upon registration
  • Registration: Email: vanya.laporte(at)gmail.com, and $60 via etransfer *pls reach out if funds are tight

Will you join us in rewriting your story and reclaim your heart’s lineage?

Where am I Now? Getting Clear About Your Internal Compass

Where am I Now?

Getting Clear About Your Internal Compass

Where are you starting from? Your internal compass is the place where you are standing right now—the filter with which you view your life through. We have to get clear about where we are standing. Are you standing in a story from your past?

Right now you are originating your life from somewhere, from a context. From a stand you’ve made on your commitment to your identity. It’s pretty automatic. If you live with a lot of drama around you, your compass is still caught in a survival strategy that keeps you going (and stuck) in modern culture. You can work to move your compass point to a different identity, a different context.

Join us for an introspective session in nature as we explore where you are now and where you want to be.

Workshop Details:

  • Date: April 20th, 2026
  • Time: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm PST
  • Location: Outdoor location in Victoria, BC [Specific location TBD upon registration]
  • Registration: $75 etransfer *counselling receipts upon request

Vanya Laporte

RCC, Supervisor, and Somatic Therapist

Vanya brings mindfulness and somatic praactises to help her clients navigate their internal compass.  She is an eclectic counsellor who works outside, in office, and online.  She also is very passionate to support those who tend spaces for others- parents, caregivers, and other helping professionals. 

Why Nature-based Counselling?

There is a growing body of research and literature that discusses the benefits of children and adults spending time outdoors deeply connected to the natural world with so many therapeurtic benefits:

  • Promotes healthy development in a stimulating learning environment (Louv, 2005; Selhub & Logan, 2012; Maynard, 2007).
  • Enhances opportunities for free play that inspires creativity (Gray, 2013; Hughes, 2009).
  • Encourages children to take appropriate risks to learn risk assessment and self-regulation (Gill, 2010).
  • Fosters social skills and peer-group relations (Knight, 2013; Porter, 2003).
  • Nurtures a connection to the natural world and an understanding of environmental stewardship (Chawla, 2007; O’Brien, 2009).

The particular activities that are woven into each counselling session are unique to each location, the clients’ needs and goals, and individual interests. However, there are a few common threads that help define what we do at nature-based counselling sessions:

  • We use therapeutic nature-based skills and naturalist skills to support our collective learning and healing.
  • It’s curiousity-led and includes spacious time for free exploration and play.
  • Sessions use songs, stories, games, and gratitude practices to both inspire and support learning about our connection to nature, others, and self.
  • We use somatic theory and creative methods to help support clients to remember and discover their gifts and resources.
  • We utilize mindfulness/awareness principles to promote a conscious awareness of our thoughts, actions, and feelings.

Book Online HERE

Ask a question or inquire about counselling services below.

2 + 14 =

12505309898

vanya.laporte(at)gmail.com