Katrina Moore-Pettersson Counselling

16/07/2025

In this fast-moving world, who has time to slow down and peer into the intricacies of a mossy micro ecosystem, to pause and feel the kiss of a breeze on our skin, or to sense how nature may guide us in navigating a current challenge in our lives.

Certainly, this was a common sentiment among those of us who participated in a nature-based therapy training a couple of weeks ago. And…we all changed our tune by the end, recognizing the power in our healing journeys of doing so.

Nature-based therapy invites Mother Nature to be a "co-therapist", and having personally experienced the power and richness of this, I can attest to the magic of this process. While indoor spaces can offer a sense of containment and safety in therapy, which is sometimes needed, having sessions in the forest or by the water and relating to nature as our mentor, resource, and guide can offer space for profound insights and deep healing.

I am excited to be offering regular nature-based therapy sessions in the Nelson area! Within these sessions, I combine nature-based therapy, Somatic Experiencing, parts work/Internal Family Systems, psychoeducation about our nervous systems, and a space to be seen, felt and heard. Dm me to book 🦚😊 or click to link in my bio.

16/07/2025

17/06/2025

We did it! Our therapeutic climbing day was full of learning, growth, connection and FUN! I’m feeling very grateful for this group of amazing, courageous women , including our incredible guide ! Thank you for taking good care of us and sharing oodles of wisdom for climbing and life, from your many years of climbing and guiding. Looking forward to many more of these days!!

10/03/2025

One of my teachers recently told me, “Water what you want to grow.”

In trauma work, we Somatic Experiencing-oriented therapists will often invite you to notice resource—>something fhat helps your system feel more settled, lighter or just generally better. For some, this can feel like a relief and for others this can feel REALLY annoying when our systems are draggingggg us to the more uncomfortable stuff. When we have experienced trauma, our entire or portions of our physiology may be swimming in the “trauma vortex”—> thoughts, behaviours, images, memories, and/or sensations linked to trauma and it can feel unnatural and sometimes very uncomfortable to notice something different, let alone stay there!

It’s not that we DON’T want to go there, in fact, it is often necessary to heal trauma. And…if we don’t have a place that feels rooted enough to hold the discomfort or to come back to when we do go there, we may feel overwhelmed or even become re-traumatized. So, when we ask you to find and notice and maybe even stay with your resource we’re not doing this to ask you to bypass your feelings. We’re supporting your system to develop a new pathway, one that ISN’T trauma physiology, one we call the “counter vortex”. And this new pathway can help us build the capacity and resilience to enter the trauma vortex with a felt sense of safety and without getting stuck there. This is one way that we heal trauma.

SO…when my teacher said water what you want to grow, what she meant was “water” your resource pathway. Orient to pleasure. Notice and do what feels good in your system. Not only can this build the foundation to help us heal trauma but strengthening this pathway ultimately means we get to hang out here more often, which can feel pretty darn good!

04/03/2025

I have come to realize the importance of protecting my sensitivity. She is not separate from me, nor I from her. She infuses how I show up in this world and crystallizes my gifts. As long as my physical body exists on this planet, she has no choice but to be because I am her embodied. She sometimes wears a mask in this unforgiving world and yet, she persists. She is tough and soft. Inward and outward...and the space between. And she needs my protection. I speak up for her needs and hold her.

Please care for and protect all of who you are. You are a gift exactly as you are.

21/01/2025

Sending it slowly

An invitation to self-identifying women to join me (registered social worker/trauma-informed and somatically oriented clinical counsellor) and Jasmin Caton (ACMG Ski Guide and wonderful human) for a day of ski touring in a safe and supportive group environment.

Often, we move quickly through the mountains since skiing is so.dang.fun.!! And...we can learn so much about ourselves and our nervous systems, and experience more connection to the people and nature beings around us when we slow it down a little. Thus, this day will of course involve skiing (hopefully) great powder while also focusing on slowing down into connection with self, others and the nature that exists all around us in the mountains and that we are a part of.

5% of the profits will be donated to COINS (Circle of Indigenous Nations) as a small step taken towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, the original and ongoing stewards of the lands where we ski.

One partial scholarship is available for an individual who identifies as BIPOC or as 2SLGBTQIA+.

Please DM or email me for further information: katrinamoorepettersson@gmail.com

We hope to see you in the mountains!

11/05/2024

On Saturday July 13th, 2024 I will be partnering up with Jasmin Caton (ACMG-Certified rock climbing guide) to offer a day of rock climbing (top-roping) for self-identifying womxn that will be focused on somatic awareness and nervous system regulation. Using rock climbing as our teacher, this day will be a chance to connect to yourself somatically and to understand what shows up in your body while you’re climbing and how to navigate those sensations to return to or expand into a more regulated state. This type of awareness and practice can be helpful while rock climbing to ensure that we are climbing safely and enjoying ourselves fully but can also be carried over into our everyday lives and relationships.

DM me for more info 🙏💪

26/03/2024

Today was “Bring Your (Inner) Child to Work Day”, for this therapist.

Business casual?? I’m sorry but my inner child feels MUCH more content wearing Sesame Street socks to the office.

What can you allow your inner child permission to do this week that may go against societal norms but would bring them joy?

*Hint: It can be helpful to ask that younger part of you what used to bring them joy (maybe it’s jumping in puddles, swinging on a swing set, frolicking down the street, having a lip sync battle with your friends or wearing silly clothes!) There’s no wrong answer 🌞 HAVE FUN!

15/03/2024

A couple of weeks ago, 8 of us ventured off into the backcountry to connect to our bodies, each other and the mountains (along with skiing some of the best powder of the year) on a somatic therapy-oriented ski day facilitated by Jasmin Caton, an ACMG ski guide, and myself.

We can do so much valuable therapeutic work in a safe, contained space, like an office…and…the purpose of therapy is to gain skills and knowledge and to have new felt experiences that we can bring to the dynamic realities of our everyday lives.

This day proved challenging from a logistical and nervous system lens, given the high-risk avalanche conditions. And yet, as a group we practiced grounding ourselves, communicating, and bonding as a means to regulating our nervous systems, and the feedback was that people felt safe and had so much fun.

There is so much healing power in working with our individual and collective nervous systems in nature and adventure-based settings, and I’m so grateful for all of the learning, teaching and connecting from this day.

I am planning to host similar rock climbing-based programs this spring and summer, so stay tuned! And if you’d like to get on the mailing list, or set up a 1:1 nature or office-based session, feel free to send me a DM 💪🙏😊

15/03/2024

A couple of weeks ago, 8 of us ventured off into the backcountry to connect to our bodies, each other and the mountains (along with skiing some of the best powder of the year) on a somatic therapy-oriented ski day facilitated by Jasmin Caton, an ACMG ski guide, and myself.

We can do so much valuable therapeutic work in a safe, contained space, like an office…and…the purpose of therapy is to gain skills and knowledge and to have new felt experiences that we can bring to the dynamic realities of our everyday lives.

This day proved challenging from a logistical and nervous system lens, given the high avalanche conditions. And yet, as a group we practiced grounding ourselves, communicating, and bonding as a means to regulating our nervous systems, and the feedback was that people felt safe and had so much fun.

There is so much power in working with our individual and collective nervous systems in nature and adventure-based settings, and I’m so grateful for all of the learning, teaching and connecting from this day.

I am planning to host some similar programs this spring and summer focused on rockclimbing, so stay tuned! And if you’d like to get on the mailing list, shoot me a DM 💪