About Erin

Erin Vlach, MA, LPCC-S, RYT 200
she/her/hers

Hi, I’m Erin. I’m looking forward to meeting you! My aim is to provide a space in therapy that feels welcoming and affirming, no matter who you are or where you are coming from. It’s common to feel like we’re “too much” or “not enough”, but you cannot do therapy wrong. I offer a steady presence and support, along with the challenge that is needed to inspire growth and change. Therapy is a partnership, and I generally approach the work with an informal energy and an appreciation for the occasional banter.

My view is that gaining understanding of ourselves leads to greater self-compassion, self-determination, and freedom in our lives. I believe in folks’ natural and innate ability to learn, shift, grow, and heal. I am a trauma-focused therapist, which means I’m often paying attention to people’s lived experiences and making connections between past events and current patterns or problems. I do this through listening to clients’ stories and focusing a lot on the “here and now” of what is happening for clients during our sessions. I am trained in EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is commonly used to treat trauma and deep patterns that seem “stuck”. I’m also a Registered Yoga Teacher, and like to use breathing, gentle yoga postures, or other focus on the body when folks are interested.

I served as the Director of the Counseling & Wellness Center at Columbus College of Art & Design from 2012-2022 and had the joy and honor of working with many amazing artists, designers, makers and creatives during my time there. Some of the treatment areas I have focused most on include anxiety and panic, depression, relationship concerns, complex trauma, sexual violence, childhood abuse and dissociation. Before CCAD, I worked in substance use treatment with adolescents and their caregivers through Maryhaven. I feel comfortable and like working with autistic folks and people who experience disordered eating concerns, but I am not a specialist in these areas.

I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervisory Designation (LPCC-S), and completed my master’s degree in Clinical Counseling from The Ohio State University with concentrations in Sexuality Studies, African American Studies, and HIV/AIDS Education. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from OSU with concentrations in Sexuality Studies, Sociology, and Deaf Studies.

Trust, respect, collaboration, and humor are essential in therapy, and I love building that relationship together. I’m exciting by learning, and I am always trying to grow. So you can have some ideas about my perspectives, here are a few readings that have influenced my practice:

  • Gentle Mending: Understanding Our Pain and Experiences in Trust with Tall Man by Aimee Rocks and Dwight Tolliver

  • The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

  • My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

  • All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks

  • Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk