About Laurie

Welcome to enCOURAGE Counseling

Thank you for coming to the enCOURAGE Counseling website. This is a great first step in owning YOUR story!

Coming to therapy means trusting someone in a profound way. Maybe you haven’t really experienced a lot of trust in your story. Maybe the thought of trusting a stranger is a bit overwhelming…and maybe even impossible.

I get it.

I know what life looks like when you take the bold step to own your story and write a brave new ending. It takes a safe place with support and encouragement; it takes a therapeutic relationship that makes talking about painful things possible. I recognize what empowerment feels like when there is no shame and no more denying. I know that you can actually thrive in relationships and within yourself.

“OKAY….SO WHO ARE YOU?” 

I’m glad you asked…

I decided to become a therapist after being in education for over 25 years. I loved teaching and being a principal. I loved working with middle school, high school and college students. But I also knew that I didn’t get to spend as much time working with individual students and their parents like I wanted to…and so I became a therapist. I made a big change in my life because I wanted to encourage and empower people to make big, bold and positive changes in their lives.

On this page, a therapist will typically talk about all the techniques and theories they use with clients. Here’s the most important thing to know about the way we will work together:

• We’re going to start with you. I’ll want to know what brings you to therapy and why do you think you’re coming in NOW (is there a specific event or experience that made you know the time was important)?
• I’ll get to know you. We will talk about what is working and what you think might be stopping you from living a full and thriving story. Believe it or not, we will probably even laugh!  Therapy doesn’t have to be sad, boring or always so serious.
• We’ll figure out what works and doesn’t work with you. If you’ve been to therapy before, I’ll ask what you liked and what you needed to be different to really benefit from the sessions.
• Then we will create your goals because we want to make sure that every session gives you what YOU need to live the story you want and become the person you know you want to be.
•  I’ll work with you in specifically designed ways to move you towards your goal. I’ll answer your questions, and get feedback from you so that you leave feeling relieved, safe, and ready to take on your life!
• By the way…we will also figure out if I’m a good fit to encourage you and work with you. My commitment is to make sure YOU are in the best place with the right person to tell your story and do the hard, important work of therapy!

Integrating Your Faith Into Therapy

I also understand that your spiritual journey can be central to your understanding of your identity and purpose in life. To that end, I engage in faith-based therapy for those clients who want to integrate their spiritual background and faith with their personal goals in therapy.

Maybe you’re not sure that counseling is the right choice for you. By making an appointment today, you will start a new chapter in your life that will support your goals and launch you into a new way of experiencing life and relationships.
I look forward to welcoming you to enCOURAGE Counseling.

Contact enCOURAGE Counseling!