Laura Fish, MFT

It's a privilege to care for you. Therapy is a very vulnerable experience, and I feel it is fundamental for the therapist to create a safe, non-judgmental place for clients to share. I take that role very seriously.

What makes me different from other therapists? I've been told it's the tools I provide. I ask clients who have been to other therapists before seeing me, "Well, what tools are you currently using to help with.....(whatever their concern is)?" Very often they say, "None." They say their therapist didn't give them any.

I have over thirty years of experience as a therapist and currently draw heavily from the approaches of Interpersonal Biology, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Somatic Therapy, and Trauma-Informed modalities. While I have unique expertise working with young children, I also enjoy working with adults especially in couple's therapy.

I am an EMDR trained therapist, providing this highly effective treatment for veterans with PTSD, adults with complex trauma, and adults with a single incident trauma. Trauma is a wound that can be healed. The modalities I use create as safe container to reprocess the trauma; not reexperience it.

I deeply listen to the story of your experience, check with you for understanding, and together we decide on the tools you will use to get you to where you want to go; typically, people say they want more peace, less stress, better communication, more coping strategies, and just general balance and well-being. Yes! I can help with all of that. Or, if your needs differ, we highlight those and choose the tools to get those met.

Therapy is not one-size-fits all. How could it be? Humans have such complexity and variety!

I am a virtual therapist. I've chosen to do so to cut down on carbon emissions, traffic, and the stress my clients endured racing to make their scheduled appointments on time (traffic nightmares!). My effectiveness is not negatively impacted at all by not being in the same room with the client. I can do my job just as effectively over a screen. If you are hesitant, I totally understand. Many of us, me included, did not grow up with all this tech. So, it seems unnatural. I promise you that virtual therapy is just as effective. My clients who used to meet with me in person then followed me into the virtual world attest to that. In fact, many prefer it now.

Most importantly, you need to find someone who you feel seen, soothed, safe, and secure with. I take those tenets very seriously. While anyone can learn techniques of therapy, learning how to provide a safe, nurturing, nonjudgmental space for people to heal is hard to teach. I take that role very seriously: ensuring your confidentiality and safety.

Therapists are taught to leave their personal lives out of the "room." Makes sense: therapy is about you, not me. But what I find is many of my clients want to know a bit more about who I am as a person. Briefly, I am a highly sensitive person who feels things deeply, values communication over compartmentalization, and someone who cares greatly about social justice, equity, and fully respecting and including all people. Exercise and healthy eating are non-negotiables for me to support the body/brain connection.

For more about my me and my approach please visit my website: www.laurafishtherapy.com. Or email me: laura@laurafishtherapy.com. I am happy to answer any questions you have, and I offer a free 10-minute consultation.