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Submitted by: Hilary Parker

After sailing to the South Pacific and back, counselor/therapist Virginia Malmquist is happy to be home among the trees of her Whatcom County home, where she’s returned to her counseling practice.

Malmquist and her husband sailed 15,000 miles to gather data and raise awareness about climate change for climate watchdog Blue Planet Odyssey. Photo courtesy: Hilary Parker.
Malmquist and her husband sailed 15,000 miles to gather data and raise awareness about climate change for climate watchdog Blue Planet Odyssey. Photo courtesy: Virginia Malmquist.

Malmquist and her husband, Jerry Schuster, sailed 15,000 miles in their 40-foot J boat over the course of eight months to gather data and raise awareness about climate change for climate watchdog Blue Planet Odyssey.

“Visiting so many different cultures in the South Pacific reminded me that folks solve the problems of everyday life in a broad range of ways,” Malmquist said. “Coming home via the Great Garbage Patch of the North Pacific renewed my commitment to the environment.”

She and Schuster have been committed to living lightly on the planet, installing solar panels and three 3,000-gallon rain collection tanks on their property, about 10 miles east of Bellingham off of Smith Road.

Malmquist’s practice is located here, too, nestled in the trees. It is a unique and healing setting for her work. “My office is a little log cabin on a small lake,” she says. “Clients walk down a path under a bower of evergreens to reach the cabin, where we sit by the fireplace in the winter or out on the porch in the summer.”

Malmquist works with individuals and couples, dealing with divorce, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, PTSD and gender diversity.

Recently, she has been working with many people suffering from “PTED” – post-traumatic election disorder. “Although this sounds strange, many people are struggling with very real anger, sadness and frustration from the national events,” she said.

Malmquist’s counseling degree is from the University of Washington. In addition to her master’s degree she has three years of doctoral studies and a year of study with the Seattle Family and Marriage Institute. She is active in Transition Whatcom, ReSources and Whatcom Women’s Network.

Malmquist offers a sliding scale for her fee, but does not accept insurance. She can be reached at 360-319-4266 or heronreachcounseling@gmail.com.

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