At nearly 30 years into my career, in hospital, community mental health and in outpatient settings, I’m still passionate about helping people navigate life’s complexities. Therapy isn’t about fixing people—it’s about making space for growth, clarity, and sometimes a little irreverent laughter along the way. Clients often tell me they appreciate my straightforward, down-to-earth approach and my playful nature. Licensed in Virginia, I provide psychotherapy for individuals and families looking for support as they navigate transitions, challenges, and the everyday chaos of being human.
As life has a way of throwing us curveballs, I often remind my clients that resilience isn’t about never struggling—it’s about how we move through it. The words of Viktor Frankl resonate deeply with me:
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
While I work with a variety of concerns, my focus is on supporting teenagers, young adults, and parents facing major transitions—whether it’s preparing for college, navigating neurodivergence, or figuring out what’s next. I have a particular soft spot for the 12-and-up crowd—the ones with razor-sharp wit, strong opinions, and a knack for keeping adults on their toes. I also work closely with women stepping into and through motherhood, providing a space to process the beauty and the messiness of that transformation.
Elizabeth Wilkins-McKee and I have been a clinical team since 1999, working with children, families, and couples in a collaborative, complementary approach. (Ask her about how I helped her find her way out of the tunnels underneath The Brattleboro Retreat. That woman gets lost everywhere!) Our shared commitment to meaningful, practical care has allowed us to support clients through life’s most challenging transitions with both depth and humor.
Beyond my work, my superpowers include: decoding cat behavior, calming fussy babies, and keeping a sense of humor even in tough moments. I also bake an incredible yogurt pie, keep up with master gardeners, and dominate at Connect Four (some would say unfairly). My kryptonite? Long, drawn-out meetings and overconfident drivers who think they can handle snow but definitely cannot.
Professional Affiliations:
● National Association of Social Workers
● Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work
By bringing together professional expertise, lived experience, and a belief that humor is sometimes the best coping strategy, I strive to create an authentic and empowering space for clients.
Laura isn’t a CV sort of person. To learn more about who she is, what she has done, where she has trained, who she has trained with and what she has talked about just ask her.
Laura will be accepting new clients this spring.