Meet Emily

Hello! I’m Emily Van Der Laan, MA, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington state and Holistic Resiliency & Relational Coach across the United States.

Here is a bit of my background and orientation.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Conflict Resolution and a minor in Women’s Studies from Portland State University and a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a certificate in Ecopsychology from Lewis and Clark College. I received a year of training and experience in my graduate-level internship at M.E.T.A. (Mindful Experiential Therapeutic Approaches), focusing on mindful/experiential/somatic/Hakomi styles of therapy. Since graduating, I have completed Relational Life Therapy trainings 1 & 2 and operate a private practice in Washington.

In addition to my clinical training, my professional and life experiences have helped form a dynamic and empathic approach. Before going back to school later in life, I trained and worked in numerous fields including clinical herbal medicine, environmental education with “at-risk youth,” permaculture design and landscaping, sustainable forestry, non profits, and event planning. I have worked in fields such as sexual assault survivor advocacy, sex education, and environmental education I have volunteer experience in social and environmental activisms, community projects, and conflict resolution processes. I have extensive experience in alternative lifestyles. 

My personal experiences have enhanced my empathy and passion toward my work as a counselor. I have known the experience of being a survivor, of addiction, and what it means to live on the edge of communities and society. I’ve felt the challenges and demands of career change, relocation, and health issues. I have known the bliss and work that come with love and the gut-wrenching experience of loss. I have been on my own path of self-ownership, self-belonging and befriending my voice. I have known the healing powers of the therapeutic relationship as a client.

My studies in anthropology, human development, trauma, ecopsychology, and somatic therapies have found a home in experiential therapy. I’ve come to learn that people need (and often lack) connection and meaningful participation in the world. Beyond that, there are significant personal, social, and environmental consequences for being at war with ourselves. People need discerning inner-compasses that keep us in touch with our embodied truth- especially in trying times. Mindful and embodiment practices provide ample opportunity for self knowing and empowerment.

I find nourishment in mindfulness, music, dance, being in nature, gardening, hiking, and working with others on collaborative projects. I love learning, playing, and am moved by surprising acts of gentleness and kindness. I enjoy pondering relationships between truth and comfort, the importance of the individual path within the collective, and connection across differences. My hope is to serve the re-connection and healing of relationships between parts of self, with each other, and the Earth.