Laura Coatsworth

Laura has worked in the field of child and family mental health for over 12 years. Beginning her career in music, Laura directed a children’s choir from Uganda across the United States for 3 years. In this time she came to learn that building caring relationships was of greater personal value and investment than musical performance, and went on to obtain her MSW from the University of Calgary in 2014. She specialized in International and Community development, having a long-held passion for working with young people in highly vulnerable environments, while also focusing on clinical support for children experiencing trauma. For 8 years she worked in children’s grief and loss, both providing supporting after a sudden death and in pediatric hospice and palliative care.

With a long-held interest and desire to experience life and culture in Northern Canada, Laura first moved to Yellowknife and then Inuvik, where she continued to provide counselling support to individuals as well as deepen her understanding of local culture and land-based healing practices. She first lived and worked in the Yukon in 2022 as a child and family counsellor for the communities of Haines Junction, Burwash Landing and Beaver Creek. She remains forever grateful to the openness from community members who have taught her how to bead, laughed at her inability to sew, patiently saw her through her goal of making her own pair of moccasins and trusted her to witness and hold space for their grief and care for their children’s mental health. Today, Laura especially enjoys her work with her people-loving therapy dog, Chinook, as together they are completing their training in Animal Assisted Play Therapy.

Laura describes herself as integrative in her working- drawing from her play therapy narrative and EMDR training. She believes in and is committed to seeing people by their strengths and always considering the ways our broader environment impact and shape our lives. When not at work, Laura is most likely and happily outside running through the woods, mountain biking with friends or cooking up new recipes in the kitchen whilst singing.