Laura Olson
ABOUT ME:
As we grow up embedded in families and society, we often wall off parts of ourselves that we or others find ugly and unacceptable. I strive to create a safe and warm space from which we can uncover and tend to those parts. I work with people who are looking for ease from anxiety, relief from depression and sadness, and freedom from symptoms and patterns rooted in trauma or loss.
Primarily I work from a psychodynamic, depth-oriented perspective that includes attention to attachment and relationship patterns. Deep listening and empathy are at the heart of creating a meaningful therapeutic relationship for healing. Within sessions I also draw from the wisdom of mindfulness, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT). I am also certified as a music therapist (MT-BC).
Within each of us there is a healed and healing self we can call upon in times of suffering. Sometimes this part of ourselves has been buried under layers of fear and pain. Finding and trusting this self is the work of therapy.
BACKGROUND
I have a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor's degree in Music Therapy from the University of Iowa. I have experience working with people who have experienced trauma and loss, anxiety, depression, neurodiversity, end-of-life issues, neurodegenerative diseases, and developmental disabilities. I hold a special interest in working with individuals and families as they navigate fertility, birth, loss, and parenthood.
In my time away from work, you can find me with my nose in a book, baking bread, listening to choral music, and biking the cities.
