Life isn’t perfect, but it can be better.
There are things you have little power to change in life and there are things you have a lot of power to change. There are also many aspects of ourselves that don’t need to change, but rather need to be accepted or embraced. You get to decide how you treat yourself. I support you in building a positive relationship to who you are.
Laura Northrup Psychotherapy | Specializing in Sexual Abuse, Polyamory, Couples Counseling, Codependency, & LGBTQ Issues in Oakland
Will we be a good fit?
Hands down there are two things that people like the most about working with me:
I am emotionally engaged. I listen well and I talk with you, I don’t just sit back and nod my head. I am in every conversation with you.
I go deep. I am a person you come to when you want more out of life than changing a habit or two. I am interested in how you are engaging with the big life questions, and I want to help you live in integrity with who you are.
More about my background:
As a therapist, I am both somatically and relationally oriented, with a Master’s Degree in Somatic Psychology. I trained in the use of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for the treatment of trauma with Janina Fisher, PhD. I incorporate mindfulness and the latest in trauma theory into my work. I completed a year long intensive training at Pacifica Graduate Institute on clinically working with spiritual aspects of trauma, with Jungian analyst and author, Donald Kalsched, PhD. I studied advanced concepts in clinical supervision in a year long study group at The Psychotherapy Institute. I am trained in and offer ketamine assisted psychotherapy in conjunction with long term depth therapy.
In addition to practicing therapy, I teach and speak about a variety of topics such as: clinical work with sexual trauma survivors, psychedelic medicine, and the art of building a fulfilling practice as a healing practitioner. I am a clinical supervisor with Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center, The Center for Somatic Psychotherapy, and The Center for Mindful Psychotherapy. I also offer classes online.
I create and host a podcast series called Inside Eyes, about people using entheogens and psychedelics to heal sexual trauma. I have also been featured as a guest on Voices of Esalen: The Psychedelic Moment, Drug Science presents Women in Psychedelic Science, Psychedelic Seminars, So Many Wings, Psychedelics & The Shadow, Psychedelics Today, Selling The Couch, The Lex Files, & The Psychedologist.
Prior to practicing therapy I was an experimental filmmaker and value the role that creativity and self expression plays in the healing process for many people. I have spent over 20 years learning about and engaging in political movements toward liberation.
In my personal life, I seek out joy and wonder, spend time with trees, watch sunsets, hike often, meditate regularly, enjoy local music and art, and cherish the opportunity to hang out with cats. I took all the photos on this website on various hikes and trips to the ocean. I am sustained by a loving community and I have a deep appreciation for what it means to live in a world where power, privilege, and oppression impact all of us.
Supervision for Associate Therapists
As a supervisor, my style is inquisitive & compassionate, while also being thorough and direct. Supervision is a vulnerable process that can illicit shame & fear, as well as excitement and passion. I am a good fit for people who like to be engaged on a deep level and who are open to working relationally within the supervising process. I am interested in supporting you to find your own truths about healing and safely grow that into the path and therapist that you are here to be.I work well with people who enjoy exploring their emotions, counter-transference, and have a life long commitment to self-knowing. I work hard and I like working with people who are invested in taking responsibility for their lives and their visions.I am particularly suited to working with supervisees who are specializing in similar areas to my own work: sexual trauma, queer and trans communities, working with activists, polyamory, codependency, and adult children of alcoholics.
Oakland Clinical Supervision, Clinical Consultation, Marketing, and Business & Practice Building for Therapists
Consultation for Successful Marketing & Business Building
If you are an associate therapist in a private practice setting, you are likely facing the huge ordeal of not only further developing your clinical skills, but also building a strong and sustainable practice. Not many schools or training programs offer business skills and you may be feeling lost and overwhelmed. Many new therapists struggle with feelings of shame and inadequacy when their practices don’t thrive. It is important to remember that a thriving practice is developed over time, with skills, and requires a lot of hard work. Additionally, you may find that while your seasoned mentors are giving you excellent clinical guidance, most of them built a practice before the internet, in a different market, and have an expansive 20-years-in-the-making referral network. In short, they may be operating from a perspective that won’t work with the current challenges you face.Many therapists shy away from marketing, seeing it as inauthentic and at its worse – manipulative. However, there is a way to market your practice that is not dishonest and can in fact be an intentional and meaningful experience. Marketing is a form of communication. You have some kind of special and unique reason you have chosen a path as a healer and there are people out there who can benefit from finding you. You need to communicate with those people and that is what marketing is as a therapist.I work well with people who enjoy exploring their emotions and have a life long commitment to self-knowing. I am warm and playful, while also being direct and thorough. I work hard and I like working with people who are invested in taking responsibility for their lives and their visions.In the beginning, we will look at what you have so far in terms of a plan and your current skill set. We will explore your clinical skills, business skills, your internet presence (or lack thereof), and your current vision. We will identify areas that need more support, skills that need to be developed, and break that down into clear tasks that need to be done. There may be times that we will look at how your psychology influences your practice building and it can be very helpful for you to be in individual therapy while going through the process of building a practice.Some ways I may be helpful to you in building a practice include:creating a sustainable fee schedule and/or sliding scalemaking an overall business plan, including long term vision, financial goals, and ideal practiceidentifying what may be unconsciously holding you backdeveloping your nichefinding accurate language to describe your practice and clinical stylelearning how to make a referral networkmarketing your practice with integritypracticing in line with your life path and personal truths
