A different kind of counselling experience

Tide & Trails blends over two decades of professional counselling experience with nature-based and equine-based approaches, offering space to reflect, reconnect, and move forward.

A woman with dressed in casual clothing standing outside with a horse on an autumn day. The scene is set in a grassy area with trees in the background and sunlight filtering through the leaves.
A woman with dressed in casual clothing standing outside with a horse on an autumn day. The scene is set in a grassy area with trees in the background and sunlight filtering through the leaves.
Inside an office, a large window with view of parked cars and trees. On a marble table, two mugs and decorative cushions with nature and animal images are visible.
Inside an office, a large window with view of parked cars and trees. On a marble table, two mugs and decorative cushions with nature and animal images are visible.
An elderly woman in a blue jacket and wide-brimmed hat standing on a dirt field, looking at a light-colored horse with brown patches.
An elderly woman in a blue jacket and wide-brimmed hat standing on a dirt field, looking at a light-colored horse with brown patches.

Welcome to Tide & Trails Counselling

Tide & Trails was developed by Kirsten Duncan, a registered social worker with over 20 years of experience working with people through grief, trauma, emotional and mental health concerns, and life transitions.

Tide & Trails grew from the understanding that people need the opportunities to connect, expand, explore, deepen, grow and heal - blending clinical expertise with flexibility to be in an office, in nature or with horses.

A smiling woman with glasses and short blonde hair, wearing a maroon shirt and a gray jacket, outdoors with blurred green foliage in the background.

  • Office-based

  • Nature-based

  • Equine Based

A lakeside view with large rocks at the shoreline, surrounded by trees and clear blue skies, with distant mountains visible across the water.

Flexible, Adaptable, Relational

Therapy takes place in a setting that best supports each client - whether a private office, a mobile trailer near natural surroundings, or outdoors.

At Tide & Trails, our approach integrates therapeutic and counselling practice with opportunities to work in natural environments.

All spaces provide comfort, confidentiality, and a safe container for exploration, allowing the work to unfold in a way that meets each individual’s needs and goals.

Our time together may take place in an office, a mobile office trailer next to nature, outdoors in thoughtfully chosen settings or in the company of horses. The approach is always guided by your needs, goals, comfort, and what will best support the work.

When equine therapy is included, it unfolds slowly and intentionally. Horses offer powerful, non-verbal feedback through presence and attunement, supporting insight, regulation, and relational awareness without expectation.

How the Work Unfolds

You can choose to book a session that occurs in office, in nature or with horses. Many people choose a blend of office based, nature based and equine based sessions. We will discuss this together and develop and adapt your plan.

The setting is always guided by your goals, interests, accessibility, comfort, and the needs of the work.

Outdoor sessions do occur in (almost) all weather. We will have the mobile office trailer available for comfort, privacy and convenience. It is fully contained (including washroom facilities). warm, dry and welcoming.

This work is centred around creating a safe, responsive place - in the location and in the therapeutic connection.

Our time together may include reflection, conversation, movement, guided awareness exercises. and pathways toward change. Over time, clients develop a deeper understanding of patterns, boundaries, and internal rhythms—supported by a skilled, attentive practitioner and the environment that best suits their needs.

Here, movement is welcomed. Silence is respected. Insight often emerges through experience as much as conversation.

A collection of smooth, rounded stones and pebbles of various sizes and shades of gray, with some tan, brown, and speckled rocks.

✔‍ ‍Nature Based Therapy

Therapy takes place in natural settings supported by a mobile office trailer. This option offers comfort and confidentiality while allowing the elements—light, weather, movement—and the space - forest, ocean, or field- to inform the work. Sessions may include walking, movement, observation, or quiet reflection. Working with nature can help bring awareness to internal patterns, emotions, and felt responses, supporting insight, healing, and forward movement.

✔‍ ‍In-Office Counselling

One-on-one visits take place in a private, confidential therapy space, providing a structured and supportive environment. These visits focus on reflection, conversation, and clinically informed approaches tailored to your goals and comfort. Clients are guided to notice patterns, explore emotions, strengthen boundaries, and develop practical strategies for managing life’s challenges.

✔‍ ‍Equine Assisted Therapy

Experiential visits with horses are always ground-based {no riding}, relational, and introduced thoughtfully as readiness and trust develop. Through guided interaction with horses, clients gain insight into relational patterns, emotional responses, and self-awareness. Equine work provides a unique opportunity for growth, supporting clients to feel “unstuck,” build resilience, and cultivate connection with themselves and others. Being in the presence of a horse can allow a person to see in a different way.

A view from inside a room looking through a window with a white marble table in the foreground. On the table are two ceramic mugs, one with a red and gray pattern and the other plain brown. In the background, a beige sofa with decorative pillows, one featuring a horse and another with a tropical leaf pattern, is visible. Outside the window, there are cars parked on a street, green trees, and houses.
A woman with glasses smiling in a forest, standing in front of a tall tree trunk.
Person and horse standing on sandy ground in an outdoor paddock with greenery and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.
A path woven in a wooded forest

Your Path Forward

Beginning is simple and intentional. Visits are booked online - with flexibility to call and discuss options such as what type of environment we want to use.

Whether we’re meeting in a private therapy space, walking a forest trail, standing by the ocean, or pausing alongside a horse, each experience offers an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and reconnect.

Call/text or email to book a free Discovery Call
Already a client?- book an appointment
Line drawing of a vintage travel trailer or camper on a black background.

Ethics, Care & Safety

All services are grounded in the ethical standards and scope of practice of a Registered Social Worker in British Columbia. Confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries, and client wellbeing remain central in every setting—whether in office, outdoors, or alongside horses.

The wellbeing of horses and the natural environment is always prioritized.