Laura Lu

Laura Lu: Relational, Culturally Sensitive Counselling

Laura Lu is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Thrive Downtown who understands you within the full context of your life: your identities, relationships, family history and the cultures and systems that have shaped you. Trained in EMDR, emotionally focused therapy and narrative therapy, Laura helps people heal old wounds, make sense of their stories and reconnect with a sense of wholeness. This guide explores how Laura works and how to begin.

Your Story in Context: Laura Lu’s Anti-Oppressive Lens

Laura’s page describes therapy as “an individual pursuit of collective liberation”. In practice, this means your struggles are not viewed in isolation. Anxiety, shame or disconnection are understood alongside the pressures and messages you have absorbed from family, culture and society.

What culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive practice can mean for you

• Your cultural background, language, faith and traditions are treated as meaningful, not as side notes.
• Experiences of racism, discrimination or exclusion are acknowledged as real sources of stress and harm.
• Power in the therapy room is shared, and you are the expert on your own life.
• Healing is not about fitting into a narrow definition of “normal”.
• Your counsellor stays curious about their own assumptions and blind spots.

Racial and cultural identity challenges

Many people carry the experience of living between cultures: honouring family expectations while forging their own path, feeling “too much” of one identity in one space and “not enough” in another, or navigating subtle and overt racism. Laura lists racial and cultural identity challenges as a specialty and offers space to explore these tensions without having to explain or defend your experience.

Self identity and self esteem

When the messages around you have been critical or narrow, it can be hard to know who you really are. Laura’s page speaks of uncovering your “most authentic and connected self”, and counselling can support you in separating your own values from the ones you were handed.

Intergenerational Trauma and Family Patterns

Childhood, family and intergenerational trauma resolution is the first specialty on Laura Lu’s page. Intergenerational trauma describes how the effects of hardship, such as war, migration, poverty, colonization, abuse or loss, can ripple through families long after the original events.

How it can show up

• Unspoken family rules, such as “we do not talk about feelings”
• Strong reactions that seem bigger than the present situation
• Patterns of anxiety, perfectionism or emotional distance that repeat across generations
• Difficulty trusting others or asking for help
• A sense of carrying grief or fear that does not seem to be yours alone

How therapy can help

Healing intergenerational patterns is not about blaming parents or grandparents, who often did their best with what they had. It is about understanding what was passed down, keeping what nourishes you, and gently setting down what no longer serves you. Laura may draw on attachment-based, IFS, EMDR and narrative approaches for this work.

Narrative Therapy: Re-authoring Your Story

Laura’s page notes that “everyone has a story that shapes the person they become”. Narrative therapy, developed by Michael White and David Epston, takes that idea seriously. Laura has completed Foundations to Contemporary Narrative Therapy training.

Key ideas in narrative therapy

• Externalizing: the person is not the problem; the problem is the problem. Depression or shame becomes something you have a relationship with, rather than who you are.
• Dominant stories: the narratives, often shaped by family and culture, that define how you see yourself.
• Unique outcomes: moments that do not fit the problem story, such as times you stood up for yourself or felt at peace.
• Re-authoring: building a richer, preferred story that reflects your values, strengths and hopes.

Many people find this approach freeing, because it creates distance from the problem and restores a sense of choice.

The Approaches Laura Lu Integrates

Laura Lu draws on a wide range of approaches. Rather than applying all of them at once, Laura chooses what fits your needs and preferences. Here they are grouped by focus.

Emotion focused therapies

Emotionally focused therapy for individuals (EFIT), couples (EFT or EFCT) and families (EFFT) views emotions as guides to our deepest needs. The Audre Lorde quote on Laura’s page, “Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge”, captures the spirit of these approaches. Laura has formal training in all three, including EFFT Level 1.

Trauma and body-based approaches

• EMDR: uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess distressing memories, often used for trauma and PTSD. The EMDR International Association has more detail.
• Somatic practices: bring attention to sensations, breath and posture, supporting the mind-body connection Laura lists as a specialty.
• Trauma-informed practices: safety, choice and pacing come first in every session.
• Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT): practical skills for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress and communicating needs.

Parts, inner child and self-compassion

• Internal Family Systems: helpful when parts of your mind and heart seem to be fighting with each other.
• Inner child work: tending to younger parts that did not receive the care they needed.
• Self-compassion and mindfulness: meeting yourself with kindness and present-moment awareness.

Depth, meaning and relationship

• Psychodynamic therapy: explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape the present.
• Relational and attachment-based therapy: uses the therapy relationship itself as a place to experience safety and new ways of connecting.
• Existential therapies: engage with questions of meaning, freedom, isolation and mortality.
• Person-centred approaches: empathy, acceptance and genuineness form the foundation.

Psychedelic integration therapy

Integration sessions help you make sense of a psychedelic experience and weave its insights into daily life. Laura does not supply or administer substances. The legal status of psychedelics in Canada is evolving, so follow Canadian law and medical guidance. Learn more about psychedelic support at Thrive.

Couples and Relationship Work

Couples and relationship issues, as well as attachment and relational issues, are among Laura’s specialties. Using Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Laura helps partners understand the cycle that keeps them stuck and reach for each other in safer, more responsive ways. Cultural differences, family expectations and past hurts are all welcome parts of the conversation. The ICEEFT website offers background on EFT, and Thrive’s couples counselling page explains more.

Anxiety, Depression and Disconnection

Sometimes the waves of life feel overwhelming, and sometimes they leave you feeling numb and far away from yourself and others. Both experiences are human responses to pain, and both deserve care rather than judgment.

What this can feel like

• Constant inner turmoil, as if parts of you are at war
• Exhaustion so deep that fighting any longer feels impossible
• Numbness, flatness or a sense of watching life from the outside
• Shame that makes it hard to reach out
• Worry that loops no matter how much you try to reason with it

Ways counselling can help

Depending on what you need, sessions might focus on settling the body through somatic practices, understanding the protective role of numbness or anxiety through parts work, or processing painful memories with EMDR. Over time, many people find they can feel more without being overwhelmed, and reconnect with the people and activities that matter to them.

Meaning, Growth and Life Transitions

Not everyone comes to counselling in crisis. Personal growth, meaning and fulfillment, along with life transitions and changes, are also part of Laura’s work. Existential and narrative approaches can be especially helpful when you are asking questions like these:

• What gives my life meaning now that things have changed?
• Who am I beyond my roles at work or in my family?
• How do I live in a way that honours both my culture and my own values?
• What story do I want to be telling about this chapter of my life?

Beginning Counselling with Laura Lu at Thrive

Laura’s page reminds you that you do not have to know how to take the next step. Thrive’s process is designed to make that step as gentle as possible.

1. A free 15 minute consult lets you ask questions and see how it feels to connect. Book through the new client appointment page.
2. Choose Laura or be matched. Request Laura by name, or share what you are looking for on the contact form. You can also explore all Thrive counsellors.
3. Your first session is a chance to share what brings you in, at whatever pace feels right.
4. A collaborative plan takes shape around your goals, identities and context.
5. In person or online: meet at 470 Granville St. in downtown Vancouver or connect by secure video.

The Thrive Formula and Laura’s approach

Regulate focuses on safety and settling the nervous system, supported by somatic and DBT skills. Reveal explores how you adapted to stress and trauma through EMDR, IFS, emotion focused and narrative work. Reclaim helps you live from your most authentic self, with clearer needs and boundaries.

Fees and coverage

Current rates are shown when booking or on the contact page. Many extended health plans reimburse counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor; check your plan for details. Laura is registered with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

Frequently Asked Questions About Laura Lu

What are Laura’s qualifications?

Laura Lu holds an MSc in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University and a BA in Psychology from UBC, and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #19901, BCACC).

Do I need to talk about my culture or identity?

Only if you want to. Laura’s approach makes room for identity and culture, but you decide what feels relevant and when.

Does Laura work with trauma and PTSD?

Yes. Trauma and PTSD, along with childhood and intergenerational trauma, are listed specialties. Laura is EMDR trained and uses trauma-informed practices. See Thrive’s EMDR therapy page for more.

Can Laura see couples?

Yes. Laura offers individual and couples counselling and is trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.

How long does this kind of therapy take?

There is no fixed timeline. Some people come for a focused period around a specific concern, while deeper trauma or intergenerational work often unfolds over a longer stretch. You can check in about pace and direction at any point, and the plan can change as you do.

What if I feel too exhausted to start?

That is understandable. You do not need to arrive with energy or a plan. Simply reaching out is a meaningful step, and sessions can begin wherever you are.

Can I contact Laura with a question first?

Yes. Laura’s page lists laura@thrivedowntown.com for inquiries. You can also call Thrive at 604-227-0297 or use the contact form.

What if I am in crisis?

Counselling is not an emergency service. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency. You can also find support at 988.ca.

Take Your Next Step with Laura Lu

You were never broken, and you do not have to walk through the heavy parts of your story alone. When you feel ready, book a free 15 minute consult through the Thrive contact page or call 604-227-0297 to ask about working with Laura Lu.