Working Together

Welcome! I’m glad you’re here.

Being human is full of challenges and uncertainty.

I believe that we can stay soft and cultivate resilience by learning to feel and process difficult emotions, foster healthy interdependence, connect with our hearts, and develop a deeper, more responsive relationship with ourselves. 

I’m here to guide you through that process. 

I work with a gentle, powerful, and non-pathologizing modality called the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®)*, which I blend with principles of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

NARM® holds that our behavior makes sense; that we’ve learned to adapt to our environments to stay safe and connected. We may eventually discover that those adaptations no longer serve us—that they get in the way of showing up as our authentic selves, having healthy relationships, and prioritizing our own needs. NARM® blends both “top-down” (traditional talk therapy) and “bottom-up” (somatic) interventions, and works with patterns as they show up in the present.

Using this framework, we hold space for the change that you long for, and get curious about what’s in the way of that change.

I also integrate family systems theory, an understanding of attachment, a sense of humor, and a belief that deep relational attunement is at the heart of transformational change. 

About Laura

I am a low-key gardener, a dinner party enthusiast, and the parent of a middle schooler. My first career was in the performing arts, and embodiment, creativity, and approaching life with curiosity remain deeply important to me. 

I imperfectly practice what I preach, and see myself as a fellow traveler, holding the questions alongside you.

Training:

  • MA, Counseling and Psychological Services, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

  • BA, St. Olaf College

  • NARM® Master’s Training (Level 2), completed in 2024

  • The Rising Therapist (Twin Cities-based, multi-modality training)

Qualifications:

  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in Minnesota (license #5089)

  • Certified NARM® Therapist

What’s possible from this place?

  • More satisfying relationships—where you can give and receive, set boundaries, and ask for what you need.

  • Deeper awareness of your wants and needs

  • More ability to honor your authentic capacity, without over-functioning

  • Experiencing a fuller range of emotional experience

  • Increased presence—without rumination and intellectualizing

  • Increased capacity to navigate difficult circumstances

  • More comfort allowing yourself to take up space and be seen

  • Increased self-trust 

  • Increased acceptance of your experience—even when it’s difficult

“’I’ve always felt that psychoanalysis is compatible with the ancient idea that the more you know yourself, the more you’re free.

That self-knowledge leads to the capacity to make choices, as opposed to making driven choices of the same kind throughout your life.

That the more you understand, the more range you have; the more agency you have.

So, the psychoanalytic disposition is not to tell people what to do, but instead to help them find what THEY want to do and what they think is the right thing to do.” 

- Nancy McWilliams, therapist and author

Contact Laura

Please note that this contact form may not be a secure, HIPAA-compliant way of transmitting health-related information. Because of that, you may want to limit the details shared in your message. If you prefer to email me directly, I can be reached at laura@tend-mn.com.

Whether you have been pulled to therapy by significant life events, challenges with self-acceptance, relationship struggles, parenting challenges, or difficulty coping with symptoms of anxiety or depression, I believe that therapy offers us an invitation into deeper connection with ourselves and our loved ones.

By taking the time to gently untangle the deep patterns fueling our symptoms and behavior (often related to our early environment and attachments), we can begin to make more conscious choices about how we want to show up in our lives.

My approach blends psychodynamic psychotherapy with the NARM (the NeuroAffective Relational Model—a framework for working with complex and developmental trauma) to help my clients become more conscious of the unconscious patterns driving their symptoms and difficulties.

I support adult individuals of all ages as they navigate life transitions (divorce, identity, career, grief), codependency and relationship difficulties, anxiety disorders, and parenting challenges—among other things.

I have a particular interest in working with individuals who have experienced developmental trauma, or parents who notice their own family of origin/childhood experiences and patterns resurfacing as they parent. I believe that by engaging in our own healing process and better understanding our pasts, we can make new choices as parents. 

I hold a compassionate, collaborative, and sometimes humor-filled space for exploration, and respect that each individual’s process, needs, and goals are one of a kind. 

Qualifications & training—

I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in the state of Minnesota. I hold a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Psychological Services from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and am a certified NARM® Therapist (level 2 training).

Location and Payment—

My office is located at 670 Cleveland Avenue South in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
I am an in-network provider with Medica, UHC, UMR, Optum, and Surest.
I also am an independent contractor with Aspiria Partners, and they are in-network with most major insurances.
My hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 10:00am-4:00pm, and Fridays 9:00am-12:00pm.

I do not currently have space for new clients. Please fill out the contact form if you would like to be added to my waiting list.