Hi. I’m Laura, a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and Anxiety Therapist in Boca Raton and Online

Life is stressful and overwhelming.   We are not taught how to cope with stress and our emotions.  We are expected to do it all and kind of just go through the motions so we are well practiced at ignoring our feelings and smiling through our sadness, fear and anger. Yet, holding in all that “stuff” overwhelms our bodies. We feel exhausted, drained and sometimes even physically sick. Or we do things that we learned long ago to calm down that “stuff,” like eating, shopping, tv over-watching, or working too much, but those things only help momentarily.

The good news is that relief is available to you.

I know because I am a highly sensitive person (HSP) where struggling with feelings of anxiety and depression ran my life. I had no idea how to cope with my deeply intense emotions that showed up as anxiety, that at times, would overtake me. I participated in retreats and seminars and read a lot of self help books, and though it felt like they helped, as time passed, the patterns reemerged. Then I found a therapist who included the body in talk therapy. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and working from a bottom up approach with the body healed my past traumas. It changed everything. I felt better. I realized the intense emotions and anxiety were from my past and getting triggered in the present. I learned how to calm my nervous system, and that changed all of my relationships. I now love giving that healing to others.

Therapy is a chance to understand your insides and evolve into a better version of yourself.  You don’t have to feel anxious or “too much” all the time.

I help you explore your patterns and develop a clear understanding of how to make necessary changes to get from where you are to where you want to be. Together we find the calm within the storm of feelings and you gain tools to take the best care of yourself.  

Working with me, clients feel allowed to be themselves, in their own unique journey in a safe, inviting, supportive atmosphere of love.  You begin to differentiate the real from the false.  You learn to trust and feel safe to share anything and everything. After working with me, many have found more self confidence, self acceptance and a greater ability to tackle life's chaos and stressors.

I have taken my formal education and my own emotional recovery on my healing journey to guide and assist others on their journey.  I tailor my approach to fit the need of each individual and provide a safe and supportive relationship for you to explore your inner world, your vulnerabilities, relationship patterns and life challenges so you can experience the healing power of true acceptance and high regard for your own journey.

I do that through a variety of approaches.  I’m holistic, looking at all aspects of your life: mind, body and spirit.  I blend conventional and alternative approaches, drawing on a variety of techniques from Attachment Focused EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Emotionally Focused Therapy, mindfulness (MBSR), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)/tapping and body-awareness working with issues of anxiety and stress, high sensitivity (HSP), relationship difficulties, grief and loss, and trauma.  I’m a learner, continuing to research and attend trainings, and I thrive on getting more and more resources to enhance my therapy skills.  I am addicted to learning and growing. I believe we all need to be heard, understood and validated in order to heal.

My clients typically come to see me weekly so they have consistent support and can move out of feeling like they are in crisis. I offer tools like mindfulness and meditation to help you find calm in your day to day. I understand that therapy can seem scary yet it can feel like a relief where you can finally just breathe.

For the nitty gritty details about my formal education - I obtained my Masters of Social Work from New York University, and my Bachelors degree from Penn State University in Human Development and Family Studies.  Since obtaining my education, I have worked with a variety of populations including children in a school setting, runaway and homeless teenagers, pregnant and parenting teenagers, adults coping with mental illness, couples with relationship conflict including affairs, adoption work (both with birth mothers and adoptive families) and seniors coping with life transitions.  I continue to work with birth mothers placing their babies for adoption.

For over twenty years, I have worked in therapy and counseling practices in Denver, Colorado and Delray Beach/Boca Raton, Florida, and I offer online therapy to those living in Florida and New Jersey.  

Call me at 561-406-4398 or contact me here today to see how I can help you feel better in your relationship with yourself and others.