About Laura

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.

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 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 therapy.  

I am the author of the book Radical Healership: How to Build a Values-Driven Healing Practice in a Profit-Driven World and the creator of the Inside Eyes podcast, an audio series about people using entheogens & psychedelics to heal from sexual trauma. I consult and speak internationally on clinical work with sexual trauma survivors, ethics and therapeutic boundaries within psychedelic medicine, and the path of building a values-driven practice as a healing practitioner. I have worked as a clinical supervisor with Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center, The Center for Somatic Psychotherapy, The Center for Mindful Psychotherapy, and Blue Oak Therapy Center. 

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. 

Laura Northrup, LMFT // (510) 229-4429 // 445 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, CA