Laura Cabanillas

I have a Master's in Counseling and have practiced in the field of mental health for nearly two decades. My experience as a therapist includes extensive training and work in eating disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, relationship issues, women’s issues, and spirituality. I am licensed in both California (LPCC) and Washington (LMHC), and I’m a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP). I also hold a certification in Grief (CGP). I emphasize a whole-person approach to care, considering the full spectrum of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual factors that impact your overall health and well-being.

My approach with clients is to lead with compassion, while leaning in with curiosity. Theoretically, I draw largely from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Person-Centered Therapy (PCT). This means I focus on principles such as psychological flexibility, values-driven living, cognitive restructuring, emotion regulation, emotional intelligence, and posttraumatic growth. I believe a secure therapeutic alliance is the best predictor of effective therapy so building trust is foundational. Trust requires openness and honesty from both the client and the therapist. Being open and curious about yourself, your thoughts, your feelings, and your beliefs is crucial to the process. I specialize in holistic care that gets to the root of pain and problematic behaviors to elicit change. Unhelpful and unwanted behaviors are surface symptoms rooted in something deeper - something emotional. Digging into the struggle and leaning into emotions can bring discomfort so my certified therapy dog, Esperanza (Espy) is able to join in-person sessions to provide clients with additional emotional support and a healthy oxytocin boost!

When we meet for therapy, you can expect to be heard in a nonjudgemental and compassionate space. I typically do a values assessment early on, so that you can identify your personal values. This assists us in working collaboratively on a plan to help you achieve your goals in alignment with your values. For couples, the process shifts to focus on the relationship goals, while incorporating each person's individual values. I always strive to empower my clients with hope. Hope, the belief that things can get better, is a core tenet of holistic health. Therapy provides hope, and hope fuels healing.