“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted in a profoundly sick society””
Philosophy — Offerings — Full Bio
Wilder Connections- Philosophy
What do people need to heal? The leading research in Attchment Theory, Polyvagal Theory and Neuro Science suggest the same 3 things: 1) An experience of safety 2) To touch something authentic within ourselves 3) To be witnessed by a caring other.* I would add a 4th to this list which is - to feel a sense of belonging to something bigger than one’s self: community, land, mystery, purpose- a doorway that can weave a person into the fabric of the wider world. This is the intersetion that Wilder Connections lives at- blending therapeutic explorations with widening our perspectives that include culture, community, ecosystems and beyond.
Wilder Connections is the place where the Inner Wilderness meets the Outer Wild. Just as our hearts and senses can be enlivened by the warmth of a fire or the first snowfall, the healing path also involves engaging with the elements. Tending to our inner vision (fire) learning to meet and develop a relationship with our emotions (water) getting curious about the nature of our thoughts, beliefs (air) and developing resources to strengthen our inner ground (earth).
Often when clients arrive for counselling it starts with a symptom: relationship issues, social anxiety, ptsd, self critical mindset, some sort of block that keeps a person from thriving. But, as we look deeper we see that this symptom is part of a bigger system, family, society, culture, earth and that often what makes us feel unwell is tied to a sense of not belonging within that bigger picture.
*Thank you to Marti Glenn, phD for compiling this research.
Offerings
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Individual Counselling
Drawing on somatic, relational, existential and humanistic modalities. Each session is as unique as the individual client.
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Group Counselling
My clients hear me say this a lot: We are wounded in relationship, and we also heal in relationship. Group sets the stage for us to lean into the beautiful (and sometimes messy) experience of being human. Come let yourself be seen and gain tools for interpersonal relating.
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Nature based Therapy
This approach invites nature in as therapist and co-guide. We spend the session co-regulating with the land, and deepening dialogue with the more-than-human world while exploring the themes alive on your heart.
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Retreats
Sometimes we need to take some phyiscal space from our ordinary reality to come back to centre. Retreats bring together group work, deep nature connection, solo practices and leisure time as a group. Come on out and recharge.
Hi, I’m Carly
Welcome to this space. If you’re here you’re likely interested in beginning some counselling work together, or seeking a guided, nature connection experience. Whatever the case, Here’s some information about where I come from, my roots as a practitioner, to help you understand my work. I am an Integrative Counsellor, a Nature Connection Mentor, a creative soul and most of all, a catcher of stories. I believe that when we adopt a mythic (storytelling) lens, we can start to make sense out of the struggle, beauty and dreams that shape our lives.
I see the healing journey as being an initiatory one. One where we are asked to die to old versions of ourselves and in doing so find the gifts and authentic expression that are buried within. Below are some of the threads I draw upon as a guide to support others to meet themselves:
Ecology- Fleming College. I hold a dual diploma in ecological studies from Fleming college which was the launching off point for my love of nature.
p.i.n.e. project: working as a guide and program director, I facilitated immersive nature based community building programs for kids and adults aimed at cultural repair in the modern context.
Rites of Passage- After my own experience engaging a solo wilderness quest. I apprenticed in the pan-cultural modality of nature-based rites of passage . I’ve facilitated several experiences for youth coming of age, and offer smaller rituals to mark passages in one’s life.
Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy. Since completion of a 4-year post graduate diploma at The Living Institute in Toronto which culminated in a year long clinical internship I’ve been seeing clients through my private practice. I still see some of my earliest clients and adore them.
The Ryzio Institute. A mentee of Ken Bruer and Dr. Marti Glenn. I have been trained in the modality of Somatic-Relational Group processes. Both as a participant and coach, I have found group spaces to be some of the most activated healing arenas where root level transformation can occur.
Encounter Group. Rooted in the gritty healing modalities of earlier generations, some of the most revelatory experiences for me have been to allow myself to be witnessed in my mess, impact, love, challenges and beauty through the container of an encounter with the group.