What is Soul and Soil?
Soul and Soil is a mental health counselling and coaching service primarily serving to support people struggling with complex trauma, depression, anxiety, high sensitivity and neurodiversity, using an approach integrating talk, somatic, creative, ecotherapeutic and other evidence-based elements.
My practice is guided by three core values:
1 - the vibrant health and integrity of individuals
2 - the vibrant health and integrity of our communities
3 - the vibrant health and integrity of our natural ecosystems
While recognizing the uniqueness of each individual's path, I aim to empower those I serve to enjoy greater confidence, resilience, creativity, clarity, connection and passion, and ultimately to step more fully into their life's purpose.
This is a resource inspired by the vast potential of life, and the belief that each of us have precious gifts to be realized in this world, when we step into our power. There is so much opportunity for joy and connection, expansion and creativity in our lives, but we’ve all felt how difficult it can be to access such states of belonging and flow, encumbered as we are by day-to-day stresses and responsibilities, by old traumas, unforeseen tragedies, and the looming shadows of environmental degradation, soaring cost of living, and an increasingly unpredictable world.
It’s no wonder we can sometimes (or often) feel hopeless when confronted by these challenges, and that we can come to feel lost or alienated. Trauma touches every single one of us, and the impacts of depression and anxiety are endured by many - alongside loneliness and isolation, grief and anger. These experiences are difficult to navigate by ourselves, and this is only exacerbated by a culture of glorified individualism.
This is why the work of reintegration is at the core of my offerings, through which I strive to support those around me in healing their wounds, rewriting their stories, building life skills and creating beautiful lives.
Soul and Soil is a British Columbia-based service, currently offered by way of online, one-on-one sessions. I split my time mostly between the Comox Valley and Victoria on Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands. In the coming years, I will be excited to provide more in-person sessions, and will be expanding into offering a variety of eco-therapy programs and workshops. Watch this space for updates!
This is an LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent-inclusive space, and I am sensitive to the experiences and needs of indigenous people and other marginalized members of society.
Who am I?
My name is Sylvain Todd, RTCC, a devotee of personal development, exploration and creativity. After spending years as a musician, farmer and regenerative landscape designer, I’ve come to follow my life-long fascination with people and psychology onto a path of therapeutic service. A graduate of the intensive counselling and coaching programs at Rhodes Wellness College, as well as having trained in permaculture design with Verge Permaculture and sylvotherapy with Alma Oasis, I am a licensed mental health counsellor, eco-therapist and a certified coach focusing on post-traumatic growth and sustainable living.
This shift was inspired in no small part by my own decades-long process of healing personal traumas, overcoming debilitating anxiety and depression, learning to live as a highly sensitive person on the autism spectrum and coming to terms with the implications of living in an age of social and ecological upheaval. I believe that the healing of people and of the land are inseparable processes, and that they are most effectively and meaningfully approached together.
I view life as a profoundly creative process and an incredible adventure, and I live well outside of the box. For years I have lived nomadically, in a variety of off-grid settings and even embracing van-life for extended periods of time. My passion lies in bringing this sense of creativity and adventure into my work as a counsellor and coach, collaborating with my clients to build beautiful lives and, ultimately, a beautiful world.
My plan for Soul and Soil in the coming years will be to continue providing one-on-one counselling services, while increasingly focusing on offering eco-therapy programs, including land-based skills education, horticulture therapy exploring the relationship of personal sovereignty and local food security, and supporting my clients in deepening their relationships with both the natural world around them and their communities.