Pinnacle Fitness Wellness Coach
Laura’s degree in psychology and sociology was at Georgia State University. She began working in a mental health facility in Miami, FL helping individuals who struggled with severe psychiatric and addiction diagnoses. Then she continued her education at Georgia Professional School of Psychology for her Master’s in Professional Counseling.
Once she graduated in 2006, she began her residency for three years at Metropolitan Counseling Services where she received training in treating Trauma-Related Disorders (PTSD, CPTSD), Attachment Issues, Developmental Trauma-Related Disorders, and Dissociative Identity Disorder under Kathy Steele, MN,CS. During that time, she began working at Ridgeview Institute leading aftercare groups for professionals, presenting lectures, doing family therapy, and focusing on the struggles that lie in addiction diagnosis as well as dual diagnosis. she worked for Psychiatric Consultants of Atlanta as a licensed therapist helping adolescents and providing parenting guidance for the families.
In 2009, opened up a private practice on her own and continued her contract position at Ridgeview Institute where she led the trauma group at the outpatient program and at the women’s eating disorder unit. she ran the young adults’ addiction program’s large family therapy group and primarily worked with the young adult’s family in family therapy counseling. For 10 years she did family therapy sessions and focused on how to help clients get out of unhealthy family dynamics. she is trauma specialist certified and follows up with continuous update training in this area along with addictions and eating disorders.
Laura focuses on the coping skills needed for mental health so she began to study DBT skills and about the mental health benefits with exercise. she incorporates DBT skills into her therapy treatment and began doing exercise therapy as a side specialty outside of the office. She works out of a gym where she can provide confidentiality and a safe place for individuals to explore their feelings.
To sum it all up, she works with struggles that have to do with self-discovery/development, self-acceptance, attachment issues, relationship patterns, and cycles, trauma from physical/sexual/emotional/neglect history, and unhealthy coping skills like, (just to name a few) addictions, eating disorders, anger, passivity, lying, and self-harm. She can see individuals one on one, as a couple, and/or as a family.
She works on helping people discover what lies beneath them. Together we uncover your emotional hidden blind spots, which we all have, and we will see where our roadblocks are to happiness. When we discover what is going on with us emotionally, physically, and socially we can begin to set ourselves free. When we understand the stories and perceptions that have been controlling our lives we gain the ability to set ourselves free from emotional pain or feeling stuck. I will introduce techniques and skills that can transform your feelings and emotional state into living life more complete and fully.
Laura’s nonjudgmental environment and encouragement will help us begin the process and allow you to explore these issues so it can lead you to relief and growth. Together we will figure out how to make life better.