Lauri is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia. She is passionate about helping people who feel stuck in areas of their life and just need some extra guidance to get through a difficult time.
Clinical Specialties
Lauri works with diverse populations, providing individual online therapy to late teens and adults. She loves to come alongside and assist her clients seeking help with areas such as: life transitions, stress management, anxiety disorders, depression, relationship or intimacy-related issues, LGBTQIA+ support, trauma, women’s issues, grief support, disabilities, and family issues.
Counseling Approaches
Lauri approaches counseling with an open mind, addressing the whole person by using styles of treatment fitting each client’s individual needs. She utilizes interventions from the following approaches to therapy as well as others: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Solution Focused Brief Therapy. She provides trauma informed care, advocates for women’s mental health, and aligns with the principles of body acceptance and Health At Every Size (HAES).
Professional Philosophy
From’s Lauri’s own perspective, “I believe that anyone can benefit from counseling. Ultimately, the most important part of the counseling process is the relationship between the counselor and client. I create and foster a collaborative, warm, and comfortable environment where my clients can relax and explore what brought them in for therapy. I see my role as a counselor is to give clients the space to navigate life’s stressors, reprocess distressing experiences, and increase self-awareness.
I am passionate about advocating for people who are marginalized and I love and appreciate diversity. I love building relationships with my clients from all walks of life. I strongly believe that trust, communication, shared humanity, and authenticity are fundamental to the therapeutic relationship.”
Clinical Experience
Lauri’s broad experience includes serving in a domestic violence shelter, an in-patient treatment facility, private practice, and non-profit agencies. She also brings experience running and co-facilitating groups, including helping to found and facilitate an amputee support group for amputees and their families in the Hampton Roads area.
Educational Background
Lauri earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from North Greenville University. She then completed her Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Regent University. She continues to educate herself by reading, listening to podcasts, and engaging in continued education professional training in her field.
Fun Facts About Lauri
- Lauri is passionate about Fall (hello, pumpkin spice!), social justice, learning, “her people,” and her plants.
- She enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, karaoke, road trips, thrifting, DIY, and cross stitching.
- Her favorite color is saffron yellow.
- She loves live music and has been known to see Train every time he’s in town.
- The background you see in Lauri’s photo is from our office “The Seaside” here at Free Spirit.
Contact Lauri directly to schedule an appointment at lauri@freespiritonline.org or at (757) 828-6947.
**SPECIAL NOTE on Insurance/Co-pays – Lauri is currently in network with: Aetna, Anthem BCBS (inc. Anthem HK+), Cigna/Evernorth, Optum/UBH/UHC , Sentara Health Plans (formerly Optima/VA Premier) and Tricare; processing with Aetna Better Health and Molina.