Laura Sheppard, Therapist 97024, Therapist Fairview

Laura Sheppard, PsyD

Profession(s):
Counselling, Marriage & Family Therapy, Coaching
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
LPC - C2132

My Approach to Helping

The people I have been able to help over the past 30 years of my practice have struggled with feelings anxiety, stress and/or sadness; have been concerned with aging or other life transitions; overwhelmed with problems in their relationships; have been contemplating separation or divorce (or recovering from either); have family and/or parenting issues; wonder why they don't feel connected and/or struggle with true intimacy with their partners. Some have been ready to commit to a long-term relationship, but want to be sure to cover all the bases first, or just want someone outside of their circle of friends, family or co-workers to talk things out with.

Peace of mind (which, to me, means improvement in overall mental health, emotional control, symptom reduction, development of coping skills, honest communication...) is possible to achieve by changing the way we THINK about and COMMUNICATE about the events in our lives that cause stress, anxiety and pain.

Using and teaching others to use 'collaborative communication' has helped my clients
to increase honest and effective communication. Learning to utilize relaxation and other techniques to help clear your mind and control your emotions can also be helpful tools to add to your arsenal of healthy coping skills.

In addition to my work with communication, I also have an interest in helping people cope with chronic pain and other medical problems. Counseling that focuses on the emotional and social issues that may be contributing to the problem, as well as the physical difficulties, can help individuals and their families more easily adjust to long-term medical conditions.

Using a relatively short-term, collaborative, solution-focused model - always with your own goals in mind - means that you have the solution to your problem locked up in there somewhere, we just need to work together to find the key. Retraining the way you think about your problems can result in relatively quick improvement in your feelings and actions.

By communicating with honesty, empathy and compassion; using humor, sensitivity and acceptance, I may be able to help you to learn coping and communication skills that you can utilize in all areas of your life. My ultimate goal is to teach people to use these important live skills in any situation, having learned to work with, instead of against, your overwhelming emotions.

With training in and experience with many types of therapeutic approaches, I work to find the safest and most effective way in which to connect with each individual, couple or family. I love my work, and hope to be able to communicate my compassion by working collaboratively with you to identify your innermost needs, and helping you to discover ways to have those needs met.