FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Vanessa Hofer is the founder of Open Fields Counseling, a trauma-informed practice providing mental health services tailored to individuals, couples, and families across rural communities and beyond. Vanessa’s clinical work centers on helping driven, thoughtful adults and couples who feel “stuck between their past and their present,” empowering them to heal, reconnect, and build deeper relationships with themselves and others. She integrates evidence-based approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and relationship-focused work into a grounded, compassionate space where clients can explore what matters most to them.

Vanessa’s commitment to expanding access to high-quality, culturally attuned mental health care in underserved areas is a big part of what inspires her work. She hopes the organization continues to be a place where clients and clinicians alike find support, belonging, and growth as they navigate life’s challenges together. On a Saturday morning, you can find Vanessa at a coffee shop or the neighborhood bakery, kids in tow. Community, kids, coffee—these are all things that maker her smile!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS, SECRETARY

Susan Harder is a licensed professional counselor, licensed addictions counselor, and registered art therapist working in private practice with clients ages 4–65. Her clinical work focuses on art therapy, substance use and addiction, and codependency, and she is deeply fulfilled by supporting people as they create, grow, and navigate a wide range of life challenges. Susan considers herself a natural helper and is continually inspired by the courage and creativity clients bring to the healing process.

Susan serves on the board of Open Fields Counseling because the organization’s mission closely aligns with the work she values and cares about deeply. She hopes that both clients and clinicians experience Open Fields as a space where connection, growth, and meaningful improvement are possible. On a Saturday morning, Susan’s favorite ritual is grabbing coffee, breakfast pizza, and a bouquet of flowers at the local farmer’s market with her husband and kids—especially if it includes an unexpected run-in with friends. One small thing that never fails to make her smile? The funny, unfiltered things her kids say.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Beth Kaufman is a psychotherapist and board-certified music therapist, and the owner of PrairieSong Healing Arts LLC. She believes deeply in the power of the therapeutic relationship and often shares that finding the right therapist changed her own life in ways she never could have anticipated. Beth’s work centers on exploring the deep, messy, and beautiful parts of being human alongside those who are ready for change.

Raised on a dairy farm in southeastern South Dakota, Beth brings a strong appreciation for rural life and community into her work. She serves on the board of Open Fields Counseling because of her commitment to increasing access to high-quality mental health care in rural communities and her hope that people find healthy connections within themselves, their communities, and the land they inhabit. On a Saturday morning, Beth loves selling goat cheese for a local producer at the farmer’s market in Staunton, Virginia—especially in the early hours surrounded by fellow supporters of local food. A sunrise over the Blue Ridge Mountains is one small thing that never fails to make her smile.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TREASURER

Karla Verkouw is a registered nurse specializing in inpatient oncology care. She is drawn to nursing because it weaves together direct care, education, emotional support, health system navigation, and advocacy—especially for patients and families navigating profound life transitions during cancer treatment. Karla brings a deep respect for the complexity of these moments and finds meaning in walking alongside people through uncertainty and change.

Karla serves on the board of Open Fields Counseling because of her passion for expanding access to mental health care and her hope that clients and clinicians alike experience ease and transparency when seeking support. Outside of work, you’ll most likely find her spending a Saturday morning on a hike or enjoying a downtown coffee walk with her husband. One small thing that never fails to make her smile? Time with her niece and nephew.

ADVISORY BOARD

Christina Hofer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing at Cornerstone Family Counseling in Manhattan, Kansas. She works with adolescents, adults, couples, and families, specializing in relationship concerns, anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief. Christina approaches healing through a systemic lens, attending not only to individuals and relationships, but also to the ways community, culture, and our connection to the land shape how we experience the world.

Raised in a rural farming community in southeastern South Dakota, Christina brings a deep understanding of rural rhythms, strengths, and challenges to her work. She serves with Open Fields Counseling out of a commitment to expanding access to thoughtful, attuned mental health care in rural communities and a shared belief in healing relationships alongside the land. Christina hopes clients and clinicians alike feel inspired, connected, and part of something restorative and hopeful. On a Saturday morning, she loves cooking a big, hearty breakfast with her husband and their pets—ideally with sunshine, good music, and great smells filling the kitchen. Animals of all kinds are a small joy that never fails to make her smile.