“Without the bitterest cold that penetrates to the very bone, how can plum blossoms send forth their fragrance to the whole world?” Dogen

About Laurie

Laurie received her Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) in 1997 from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Pennsylvania.  She was Level I and II EMDR trained in 2014, and received her certification in EMDR in January 2017.  She has taken multiple trainings on Internal Family Systems (IFS). In 2020, she took a ten-session training on Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (2020) with SoundMind, a training and treatment institute located in West Philadelphia. She also completed the 100 hour MAPS MDMA Therapy Training training in the fall of 2021. In 2023, Laurie completed an experiential training & training on ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP).

Laurie is currently completing Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy, a 60 hour certificate course offered by The Embody Lab.

Foundational to Laurie’s practice are principles of curiosity, compassion, acceptance, hope, and creating safety for her clients.  She values cultural competence, social justice, and has an approach that is strengths-based, client-centered, and contextual in nature. A significant amount of Laurie’s experience and background has been working with people who have symptoms associated with complex, developmental trauma (often called C-PTSD or complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). She blends many approaches and theoretical models and approaches into her work, including, but not limited to: relational, systems, family systems, person-centered, mindfulness, sand tray, creative arts, somatic, ego state, and EMDR.

Laurie believes that while mental health symptoms can be extremely painful, they are also the way our mind and body let us know that something is wrong. Getting help is courageous, and a step towards living a mindful, embodied life characterized by emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.