Emerald Valley Institute exists to train the next generation of legal, ethical, and trauma-informed psilocybin facilitators. Our mission is rooted in compassion, integrity, and the belief that healing should be accessible, grounded, and community-led. Your Practicum ( in person training) is done at Emerald Valley Holistic an OHA Licensed Service center in Eugene Oregon that is part of our Ecosystem giving you direct client facilitation opportunities after obtaining your OHA Psilocybin Facilitator State Licensure. 

We’re not a startup school. We’re the people who helped build and continue to build the legal psychedelic ecosystem — from advocacy and policy to facilitation and integration. Our founders, instructors, and guides have decades of experience in the field and all actively work in many aspects of the industry outside of Emerald Valley.

We’re not just part of this movement — we’re shaping it. Emerald Valley was the first program to make psilocybin facilitator training truly accessible, cutting average tuition costs by nearly 60% and challenging an industry known for gatekeeping and hidden fees. Our all-inclusive pricing model sparked a wave of change — and while other programs have been forced to adapt, they’re still falling short. From our pricing to our curriculum, we’re setting new standards for what ethical, transparent, and community-rooted psychedelic education should look like.

Emerald Valley Institute and Emerald Valley Holistic (an OHA Licensed Psilocybin Service Center in Eugene, Oregon) were founded by Laurel Younis, PhD(c), a lifelong native Oregonian with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest and an unwavering commitment to accessibility, equity, and community healing. Laurel’s journey into plant-medicine education spans more than two decades and is shaped by both her academic work and her lived experiences within diverse cultural and community settings.

Laurel and her husband, Sandon, who contributes to Emerald Valley as one of the Institute’s lead instructors, raise a multicultural family whose experiences reflect the diversity Emerald Valley is dedicated to uplifting. Their family’s blend of cultures and identities reinforces Laurel’s belief that psychedelic education must be trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and grounded in real-world understanding of how structural inequities affect access to healing. This lived experience fuels their mission to build an educational ecosystem where people from all backgrounds—not just those with financial privilege—have a true pathway into this field.

Emerald Valley was created for everyday people with a calling to serve—especially those who have historically been excluded from healing professions. Laurel leads the Institute with a commitment to making psychedelic education accessible, affordable, and rooted in community care. Through pay-what-you-can tuition opportunities, pro-bono training seats, and reduced-tuition pathways, EVI ensures that cost is never a barrier to becoming a facilitator. EVI furthers its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by actively partnering with organizations, leaders, and grassroots groups who share these values.

Outside of teaching, community leadership, and curriculum development, Laurel and Sandon remain deeply connected to the land that inspired Emerald Valley’s name. As a family, they spend their time exploring Oregon’s forests and coastline, nurturing connection, and grounding themselves in the place they call home.

Emerald Valley Institute reflects the values they live every day:
inclusion, cultural humility, accessibility, and the belief that healing must belong to everyone.

These programs often offer a check the box approach to psilocybin facilitator training, often with higher costs and less emphasis on community integration and less in-depth training

We’ve supported dozens of students who came to Emerald Valley after enrolling in programs that didn’t meet expectations — or licensure requirements. Many were misled by low tuition promises, incomplete training, or unlicensed practicum sites. Before you commit, here are key questions to ask and red flags to avoid.

At Emerald Valley Institute, we understand the complexities and challenges faced by those seeking legitimate and comprehensive psilocybin facilitator training. Many students have joined us after experiencing programs that promised much but delivered little. These programs often entice with low fees but fail to provide the necessary licensure or practical experience. Before you make a decision, it’s crucial to ask the right questions and recognize potential pitfalls. Our institute is committed to transparency, quality education, and ethical practices, ensuring you are fully prepared to succeed in the field of psychedelic facilitation.

At Emerald Valley Institute, we offer a comprehensive and community-focused training program designed to empower aspiring psilocybin facilitators. Our curriculum is built on transparency, integrity, and a commitment to ethical practices, ensuring you receive the highest quality education in the field.

We built the program we wished existed when we began our journeys in the psychedelic space — one that’s transparent, community-driven, and centered on real-world experience. We don’t just train facilitators; we nurture leaders, collaborators, and lifelong allies in this field.

Our curriculum exceeds Oregon’s requirements, our instructors actively work in the industry, and our students gain access to a network that continues well after graduation. This isn’t just a school — it’s a community, a movement, and a commitment to doing things differently.

Providing the Ability to Pursue Opportunities