The “Collective” aspect of Aspen Roots is all of the individuals who show up to co-create unique experiences and participate in our collective healing… facilitators, therapists, guides, and participants alike!

Sommerville B. Johnston, LPC, SEP, RYT 200

ARC Founder, Retreat Guide, Counselor, and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

Sommerville is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, wilderness guide, yoga instructor, and founder of ARC. She is passionate about facilitating opportunities for individuals and groups to connect with the natural world, to explore their inner-landscapes, and to discover within themselves a strength and beauty more powerful than they previously knew. She has worked in the mental health field since 2010 and in the outdoors since 2000, incorporating curiosity, humor, deep compassion, and respect into her various roles. Sommerville enjoys exploring the trail, rock, and water of her home in the Southeast, as well as continuing to learn from new places and people around the world.

Facilitating experiences in which participants are able to deepen, strengthen, and nourish love for one's self, community, and the natural world- this is the vision of Aspen Roots Collective, PLLC.

Aspen Roots Collective is grounded both in the therapeutic world of counseling and holistic health as well as in an adventure and nature loving approach to life. Blending wellness retreats with adventure travel, ARC is a unique addition to both fields. Facilitators are a mix of trained clinicians, experienced outdoor educators, and adventure guides, resulting in retreats that combine the ruggedness of outdoor play with the renewal of slowing, reflecting, and nurturing.

Based in Asheville, North Carolina, retreats and workshops are offered in the mountains of Western North Carolina, as well as locations far and wide: Baja, Mexico; Bariloche, Argentina; Birmingham, Alabama; Elijay, Georgia; Vancouver Island, British Colombia and the list grows….

Aspen Roots serve as an inspiring metaphor for the support, love, and growth that we find when in connection with our community and the natural world. The roots of the aspen tree not only dig into the soil to gather nutrients and provide grounding stability... they also serve as underground branches, reaching out and up to sprout into new trees, growing the grove and uniting acres of trees into one living and breathing organism. We at Aspen Roots Collective, PLLC seek to nurture such connections in the groups that we lead in retreats around the world.

Collaborative Partners

Aspen Roots Collective recognizes that we can all learn from one another and that we thrive through connection. We apply this lens to our business partnerships as well. In working with individuals and organizations to offer high quality experiences, we benefit from the local knowledge of culture and landscape from in-country professionals, and continue to make safety the priority when operating outside of our familiar terrain or scope of activities. Below are a handful of our regular partners, feel free to check them out and see what other incredible experiences they offer!