About Us

Erin Van Vactor is the founder and owner of Neuse River Counseling, a counseling center serving all ages in Clayton, North Carolina. Erin is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and soon to be one of only a handful of Registered Play Therapists in the area. (This means that Erin is trained to work with clients ages 2-100, with a specialty in working with children, teens, and parents.) Post graduate school, these credentials require 3,000 hours of clinical experience and 100 hours of supervised training.

Erin received her undergraduate degree from The Pennsylvania State University (We Are!) before heading to Denton, Texas, just north of Dallas, to complete her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in play therapy at The University of North Texas – the #1 play therapy training site in the world. Erin received supervised training from some of the most renowned play therapists in the country, which sets her apart from other clinicians in the area.

Erin completed her clinical internship at a domestic violence and sexual assault treatment center in Corinth, TX. While there, Erin provided play therapy for child survivors ages 3-10, activity therapy with adolescents, and individual talk therapy with adults. Erin also ran several parenting groups as well as child-parent relationship groups during her time at the treatment center. 

Upon graduation, Erin worked at a private practice in North Raleigh before branching out on her own. Erin recognized a lack of mental health services available to the people of Johnston County, a rapidly growing community. With rates of depression and anxiety at an all-time high in children and teens, having easy and affordable access to treatment is vital.

Erin has found that play therapy is the most effective intervention for children ages 3-11, as children utilize play as their natural language, and toys as their words. Erin works to build a genuine and non-judgmental relationship with her child clients by providing a safe environment that allows their natural actualizing tendency to take over. Children learn new ways of interacting with others, increase impulse control, increase focus and attentiveness, and decrease acting out behaviors. Erin sees children in this age range with a multitude of mental health concerns such as: aggression, anxiety, impulsiveness, social issues, relationship issues, OCD-like behaviors, depression, divorced/separated parents, self-harm/suicidal ideation, sensory integration difficulties, ADHD, ADD, sleeping issues/nightmares, toileting concerns, sibling dynamics, etc.

Erin uses activity therapy with tweens and adolescents using many different art modalities, wood working, baking, music, etc. With older teens, Erin also uses individual talk therapy. Additionally, Neuse River Counseling can also offer several groups for teens that address concerns such as: anxiety/depression, social skills and coping with parents’ divorce. If there is an additional group you would like to see, please contact Erin to discuss the possibility of creating one. 

Erin also provides counseling for adults experiencing a range of concerns, from childhood trauma to anxiety/depression, bipolar disorder, adjustment disorders, relationship issues, women’s issues, parenting concerns, post-partum issues, LGBTQ+, etc. 

Erin is passionate about working with parents and helping them build a stronger relationship with their children. Erin can facilitate several different parenting groups that offer both support and psychoeducation. These groups can include: Child-Parent Relationship Training, single parents, parents of children with special needs, post-partum concerns, parents of teens, military families, etc. Additionally, Erin also does individual parenting sessions to discuss concerns and strategize new ways to parent and meet your children’s needs.

When Erin is not practicing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, John, and her three girls, Charlotte, Cameron and Carter. Her favorite activities are traveling, trying new foods, and exploring all that Clayton and the Triangle have to offer.