Training & Education
Erin earned a B.A. in Psychology from Seattle University and holds a Master’s degree in Transpersonal and Somatic Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, completed in 2007. With nearly 30 years of experience working with plant medicines as a vehicle for personal growth and transformation, he brings depth, humility, and seasoned presence to his work.
In 2012, while serving as adjunct faculty in the East-West Psychology program at the California Institute of Integral Studies, Erin launched a private practice. Since 2013, he has maintained a full-time therapeutic practice, facilitating hundreds of transformational experiences including individual sessions, group work, and multi-day retreats.
Beyond formal education, Erin trained with the Consciousness Medicine Community in 2011 and participated in several trainings for new guides during his time there. He has also served as a supervisor for the Synaptic Institute’s Entheogenic Medicine Training Program, offering mentorship and guidance to facilitators in training.
He has pursued additional training in Trauma-Informed Conflict Resolution and Relational Somatic Healing (relationalsomatichealing.com). While not formally certified, Erin is well-versed in several therapeutic modalities including EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Hakomi, and Somatic Experiencing. He integrates elements of these approaches into his work when appropriate, guided by client needs and consent.
Most recently, Erin completed the Entheogenic Medicine Training Program through the Synaptic Institute, a program rooted in integrity, compassion, and clinical relevance in the evolving field of psychedelic-assisted care. He has been a licensed Psilocybin Facilitator in the state of Oregon since March 6, 2024 (License FL-f7e59b61).
Background
I began my journey in the fields of healing, teaching, and mentoring in 2005, working as a wilderness therapist with at-risk youth in Albany, Oregon. It was there I first witnessed the power of rites of passage and ceremony to spark transformation. That experience planted the seeds for the work I do today, guiding others through the deep terrain of healing with curiosity, humility, and presence.
Rather than positioning myself as a traditional "guide" or "healer," I prefer the metaphor of the sherpa. I walk alongside you, not in front. I carry what needs to be carried when you cannot. I have been through this terrain, and I know how to move through it with care. My role is not to fix you. It is to help you access your own inner knowing, your own medicine.
When I was 17, I took mushrooms for the first time at a bonfire party full of cowboy boots, cheap beer, and teenage bravado. The next morning, I quit the football team. Just like that, I realized I had been living someone else’s life, following a path shaped by other people’s expectations. That was the first moment I felt what it meant to choose authenticity over performance, and it lit a fire in me that still burns. Since then, I have been walking my own path and helping others do the same.
My approach is grounded in four core beliefs:
Client-Led Transformation — I trust that you have the inner wisdom needed for healing. My job is to help you reach it.
Authenticity and Vulnerability — I believe in stripping away who we were told to be so we can discover who we truly are.
Integration of Mind, Body, and Spirit — I draw on my background in transpersonal and somatic counseling, weaving together the physical, emotional, and spiritual threads of your experience.
Respect for the Medicine — Psychedelics are not a quick fix. They are sacred tools. I emphasize careful preparation, grounded presence, and integration as the real catalysts for change.
It is not about handing you a fish. It is about teaching you how to fish, how to listen inward, follow what is true for you, and move through life with more honesty and trust in your own process.
I am also committed to doing my own work. As a white male, I recognize my intersectionality and the privilege I carry. I stay engaged in ongoing self-reflection around my inherent biases. Intellectual humility is essential to this work, and I show up with curiosity and a willingness to learn, especially when it comes to the parts of myself I cannot yet see.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I now live in Portland with my two incredible young sons. They continue to teach me about presence, laughter, and the art of being fully human.
