Laura Sparkman, LPC, MS

Laura Sparkman is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Education with a Minor in Spanish in 2005. She later earned a Master of Counseling from Southern Methodist University in 2012. Laura has spent the last 18 years working across the medical, educational, and non-profit sectors with all demographics. She has served various roles as a teacher, learning specialist, guidance counselor and administrative / faculty adviser in both private and public schools in the greater Dallas area.

Just as a diabetic requires insulin and a person with vision impairment needs glasses, sometimes we benefit from emotional support to boost optimal brain health and function. Counseling is a safe, collaborative opportunity for you to take personal, self-care time assessing, processing and redefining your life. Learn to build skills to improve communication, social relationships, goal setting, decision making, time management, organization, work / life balance, self-esteem and any other issues preventing you from being the most authentic, successful, fulfilled version of yourself.

Laura’s passion and specialty is working with the learning different population who often struggle with co-morbid social-emotional challenges. As a hybrid professional, she blends the worlds of education & therapy offering her clients a myriad of practical strategies and tools. Additionally, Laura enjoys empowering parents & the larger family system to foster healing, strength, perseverance, and optimism through challenging times. She encourages her clients on their journey to better manage stress, anxiety, and depression. She uses a combination of therapy orientations tailored to the individual including Cognitive Behavioral, Solution Focused and Family Systems Therapy to instill hope by reframing maladaptive, distorted thought patterns and foster positive coping skills.

Laura supports adults going through a wide variety of struggles and transitions. Life is a roller coaster with many unexpected ups and downs. While we can’t control our environment, we can control our actions and behaviors. We can learn healthier coping skills to deal with problems. An overwhelming mountain may become a more manageable mole hill. Laura provides a safe, non-judgmental space for you to be your true, authentic, vulnerable self. It can be difficult to focus on yourself when you have a lot of other responsibilities and roles. It’s important to take the time to get your own needs met, so that you can be calm, clear, present and intentional each day. Everyone deserves to have proper balance between their personal and work life.

During the course of therapy, Laura will create a climate of acceptance and understanding so that you may feel free to share all of your experiences, perceptions, and emotions. Confronting distorted and denied patterns through a close therapeutic relationship allows many people to develop healthier ways of coping with life. Your brain will begin to re-wire itself and move towards optimal neural integration. This will allow for improved emotional regulation, mood enhancement and the ability to buffer daily stress. You will no longer be stuck or held back. Laura's job is to hold a mirror up and help remove the walls and obstacles so that you can become more attuned to your inner voice guiding you to whom you are meant to be.