About Laura van der Hulst, LAC

Hi! My name is Laura van der Hulst and I am a psychotherapist at group private practice Anchor Therapy in downtown Hoboken, New Jersey. I offer both in-person and virtual therapy to residents of New Jersey. I am a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC) and have completed all the requirements for my Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) license, which is currently pending approval. With several years of experience, I specialize in helping children (5+ years old), teens, adults, couples, and families navigate life’s challenges.

You are feeling overwhelmed in your relationships, struggling to communicate effectively, or finding it hard to balance the demands of daily life. Your once-loving relationship feels distant, and you’re unsure how to rebuild the connection you once had. I specialize in helping couples improve communication, rebuild trust, and foster a deeper emotional connection. Whether it’s addressing unhealthy communication patterns or navigating difficult transitions, I offer a supportive space for you to work through these challenges together.

In addition to couples counseling, I have extensive experience working with children, teens, and adults who have experienced trauma and individuals facing symptoms of anxiety and depression related to family dynamics or major life transitions. My therapeutic style is tailored to each client’s individual needs and can include a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), trauma-informed practices, mindfulness techniques, and EMDR. I received my Master of Arts in Counseling from Montclair State University and have extensive training in EMDR and TF-CBT.  

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to therapy. I believe in building a strong therapeutic relationship and providing a safe, supportive space for you to process your feelings and learn healthy ways to communicate them. We will work together on developing effective coping strategies to manage stress that is unique to your individual needs. We will evaluate your strengths and utilize them to create a life you are excited about living! 

A little about me - I spent a significant part of my younger adult life living in Europe and Asia. My first child was actually born in Thailand. When I am not meeting with clients, I love spending my free time with my husband and four adult children. Lately, life has been all about my puppy, so I’m usually out walking her and in between her walks, I am most likely catching up on my DVR filled with reality television shows!

More about how I could help…

+ Anxiety Therapy

  • I have extensive experience in treating multiple symptoms of anxiety and stress in children, adolescents, and adults. I aim to empower clients to regain control and reduce their emotional distress by focusing on evidence-based techniques like CBT and mindfulness practices in my approach. I work with clients to identify the root cause of their symptoms, reframe their thoughts, and increase their healthy coping skills to assist in stress management.

+ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • I have extensive experience successfully utilizing CBT with my clients with a variety of presenting problems. Utilizing a compassionate and supportive approach, I help clients identify and challenge problematic thoughts patterns that contribute to emotional distress and behavioral difficulties. My goal is to help my clients gain greater self-awareness and create lasting, positive change with the practical skills they learn.

+ Depression Counseling

  • I have worked with many clients of all ages to address depression. Depression can create significant difficulties in peoples’ lives. Utilizing individual therapy sessions to process through depression and other life difficulties, you will find your depressive symptoms decrease in intensity and frequency. Once there is a decrease in symptoms, clients can continue to work on developing tools to cope with future negative or uncomfortable feelings.

+ EMDR Therapy

  • My training in EMDR has allowed me to use an evidence-based approach to help clients reprocess traumatic memories and change persistent negative thought processes. The use of bilateral stimulation in a safe and supportive environment helps promote the emotional healing process and allows the client to replace their challenging thoughts with healthier responses.

+ LGBTQIA+ POPULATION

  • I can help clients with their coming out process, parenting a child who came out, gender or sexual identity questioning, transgender counseling, experiencing discrimination/bullying, and any other stressors that may arise.
  • Your identity may not even be a stressor, but you may be looking for a therapist who you can feel comfortable seeing which is why I think it’s important to express my comfort and knowledge in working with this population. I am an ally, prefer She/Her pronouns, and prefer to be called Laura.

+ Life Transitions

  • I can help support children, teens, and adults through different life transitions. I help clients identify and reframe self-limiting beliefs regarding change, while empowering clients to feel more confident and use coping skills. Some life transitions that I can help with include applying for school, getting a new job, getting pregnant, having a baby, getting married, and more! I recognize and and normalize the complex emotions regarding change.

+ Relationship Counseling

  • I specialize in working with couples who struggle with differing communication styles. I often see couples who carry feelings of resentment toward each other, feel dismissed by their partner, or have become avoidant because their feelings are not validated. I can assist you in learning how to effectively communicate with your partner, help you feel safe to express how you feel, while successfully navigating challenging conversations resulting in healthy conflict resolution.

+ TELEHEALTH

  • Are you looking for the option of virtual therapy? I offer the option of telehealth sessions (video and phone counseling). If you are residing in New Jersey, you are eligible for telehealth services with me. Telehealth sessions are great if you have a sick child at home, you’re sick yourself, there’s a snow storm, you’re stuck at work, you’re traveling, or you just prefer to do a session while in your pajamas at home. I treat telehealth sessions as the same as in-person and find them just as beneficial in our work together. The ability to do telehealth sessions also comes with flexibility in scheduling.

+ Trauma Counseling

  • I have extensive training in treating trauma utilizing Trauma Focused-CBT. TF-CBT is an effective, research-based approach to processing a child’s trauma that includes both parent and child in separate and joint sessions. The approach includes segments focused on feelings identification, affect expression, cognitive coping, and the creation of a trauma narrative to be shared in joint sessions.

What the next steps would look like…

The next step, if you feel I could be a good fit to help you or your loved one, would be to reach out to our intake coordinator Victoria by filling out the form at the bottom of this page. Victoria will give you all the information you need to know when setting up an appointment and to make sure you’re a good fit with the therapist you’re requesting. When reaching out, please explain a little bit about yourself (or who you want to bring in for therapy) and what you’re looking for help with. We would then discuss your availability to find a time to schedule your intake session.

You have the option of coming in-person for sessions or doing online therapy (video/phone sessions). I have availability every weekday, including evenings. While every person and family are different, I conduct an intake assessment in which we will discuss your struggles, your goals for therapy, and your history. If you are bringing in a child or teen who is under 18 years old then I will need a parent or guardian present to get some background information from you as well. This helps me get a full picture of who you are and how I can best help you or your child. You also may find it helpful to attend the intake session without your child so that you can speak openly about your concerns.

The hardest part of starting therapy is finding a therapist who’s available and a good fit. That’s why I try to explain here how I work with my clients. If this seems like a good fit then feel free to reach out! Our intake coordinator, Victoria, will get back to every client who reaches out through the form on our website. We reply to everyone who reaches out. If Victoria finds that we are not a good fit for whatever reason, then she will see if there’s another therapist at Anchor Therapy who can help you or she will direct you to another professional in the area who can best help you.

Please feel free to contact our intake coordinator Victoria and we can start the process of helping you or your loved one feel better soon.

BACKGROUND

  • Master of the Arts degree in Counseling from Montclair State University

  • Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Webster University

  • New Jersey Licensed Associate Counselor, License #37AC00646300

  • Clinical Supervisor: Courtney Glashow, LCSW, ACS, License #44SC05713100

  • Certified EMDR Therapist

  • Certified in Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Laura has experience working with the following:

Laura’s areas of specialization include:

 

As your therapist, Laura finds it important to adapt and individualize each client’s plan of care to better fit your needs. Laura has training in and incorporates the following evidenced-based practice methods:

Browse our beautiful Hoboken counseling office photos below…

Contact Us

WORKING WITH US IS EASY

  1. Fill out the contact form below.

  2. Our intake coordinator will get back to you with more information on how we can help and to schedule an appointment. We will set you up with an experienced licensed therapist who specializes in what you're seeking help with and who understands your needs.

  3. You’ll rest easy tonight knowing you made the first step to improve your life.