Provider Spotlight: Erin Hadlow LMFT

Erin Hadlow, LMFT

Erin is another valued member of our community! She is one of the Ketamine-Assisted Therapy providers.

Cole: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Erin: I began my career working in the area of human services for 25 years. Most of my work was in halfway houses, child services and then victim/survivor advocacy.  At 40, I returned to graduate school and I graduated with my masters in Marriage and Family therapy from Regis in 2019. After 3 years of agency work, I opened my private practice, Intentional Attachments Therapy, in February of 2022. I am honored to be on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Larimer County Behavioral Health Board.  I have lived in stunning northern Colorado the past 27 years and I have 2 amazing teenagers, 2 dogs, and WAY too many plants to count. I travel every chance I get.

Cole: Tell us a little bit about how you practice. What are your specialties, if any? What clients do you love to work with?

Erin: I work with ages 7 and up. I utilize many different therapy modalities including TF-CBT, attachment theory, somatic work, EFT, play therapy, and sandtray. In 2023 I finished training with Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with the Psychedelic Somatic Institute. I incorporate systems work in all of my approaches. My focus is mostly on anxiety, trauma, life transitions, couples and survivors of IPV (interpersonal violence). I come from a very compassion and strengths based approach. I absolutely love working with HSP's (highly sensitive people/sensory processing sensitivity) and those who were identified as the "scape goat" or "identified patient" in their family system. I work hard to be very client centered.

Cole: Why did you decide to get into the work that you do now?

Erin: I began therapy over 10 years ago after struggling with PTSD and hyper-vigilance that was affecting my job following a sexual assault. I had a panic attack one day at the courthouse after being triggered and I realized I needed some help.  I was very lucky to find an incredible therapist, Jessica Kuhn, LMFT. After a great deal of personal work, I was able to see the root of my issue was in attachment and working through my family of origin issues. After doing a lot of EMDR, I began doing systemic work, specifically Bowenian work, everything clicked for me. I wanted to utilize my experiences to help others to experience post traumatic growth. I have been fortunate to have some very skilled supervisors along the way.

Cole: What are some of the biggest challenges facing mental health providers today, in your opinion?

Erin: Student loans (kidding but not really). I also feel that a challenge for so many therapists can be the high rate of burn out and finding the exact formula needed to refill your cup. It can be difficult as a therapist to go home to loved ones and feel like you are drained. Meditation, movement and connection are at the core of what I need to refill my cup and keep myself regulated. I feel that making our own therapy and self growth a priority is a necessity. Many therapists in private practice can feel isolated. I feel fortunate to be in a suite with several other providers who help me grow and learn and some incredible consult groups.

Cole: Where do you see the future of mental health care going?

Erin: I think this is an incredible time to be in mental health with so many changes and evolving somatic and psychedelic work. I am just beginning the process of combining my training and work with KAP (ketamine assisted psychotherapy) and systemic/attachment with couples. It is an ever evolving field with endless trainings and possibilities.

Cole: What’s one thing you recommend that all your clients do to see lasting impact in their lives?

Erin: Identifying and working with their inner dialogue. I believe the key to this is often in compassion work and body awareness. Identifying patterns is so important and I love working with clients to help put all the puzzle pieces together. I see therapy much like a jigsaw puzzle of our lives. Every puzzle is unique.

I feel it's important that clients have an understanding of their attachment style. This affects all of our close interpersonal relationships. When working with clients who have an insecure attachment style, my favorite quote that I have found really helps is "those who were not fed love from a silver spoon learn to lick it off knives."

You can learn more about Erin and contact her on her PsychologyToday profile or her Psychedelic Somatic Directory page!