Meet Lara - Registered Professional Counsellor

Hello, my name is Lara

— sensitive soul, lover of deep dives, follower of magic, and the creatress of Sacred Space Healing.
When I was 5, I immigrated with my family from the Netherlands to BC. I grew up in the magical place called Nelson, where I explored and learned to embody my free spirit. Growing up in this place nurtured my love for the natural world, alternative ways of being, and living in close community.
I deeply value connection and find profound nourishment in all the ways it manifests in my life — including my inner connection to self, connection to all beings, connection to the earth, connection to spirit, and connection to the universe. Some of the things dearest to me are healing and the healing arts, being with loved ones, spending time in nature, creating conscious community, food in all its aspects and forms, and re-learning how to live in reciprocity with the earth and her creatures.
As a sensitive soul, life has often felt overwhelming, leaving me wondering where I fit into the madness or if I even want to. I have been on my own healing journey to rediscover and reconnect with my most authentic self. It has not been linear or easy at many points, but I know deep in my heart and being that it has and continues to unfold with a divine intelligence. A central part of my journey has been a direct initiation into fear and terror. I have come to know these experiences on a deep level in my body, and a core theme of trust has emerged for me through this process. In meeting the fear, I have been learning to find safety in my breath and body again. Coming back to my body is a continuous practice in each moment, and as I grow my roots, I sense myself coming home.
I hold a knowing that powerful healing is possible. Why? I have witnessed it in myself and in the people I love. My dad’s healing shows me that the body stores trauma until it is ready to be released. His body stored it as back pain, and the winter his pain became excruciating and unbearable, he broke open. My dad, who I had barely ever seen cry, started shedding tears that seemed to have no end. My dad, who refused to see any connection between his pain and his trauma, began talking about his childhood and watched his back pain go away. My dad, who didn’t know how to open up or ask for help, laid in my lap crying for hours and days on end. This is how I know we can transform and transmute anything we are holding. Powerful healing is possible, and we all hold the innate capacity for it.

Background & Vision

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with distinction. Though I did not work long as a nurse, as it did not feel fundamentally aligned with my path, I am deeply grateful for the knowledge and experience I gained from that journey and the ways it informs my counselling practice. My body ultimately led me away from nursing, reaching a state of such a clean NO that I could no longer ignore the need for change.

I graduated with a Counselling Diploma from Rhodes Wellness College in the fall of 2023. My time at Rhodes was truly transformational, deepening my ever-present commitment to my own healing so that I can hold space for the healing of others. I am deeply passionate about somatic and emotional-processing modalities and continue to expand my learning in these areas.

My vision is to offer a sacred space for clients to come home to themselves.

Hello, my name is Lara

Background & Vision

Training