Dr. Laurel Bidwell

I’m a licensed clinical social worker with more than 25 years of experience in social work, education, and research, with an MSW from Hunter College and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University. I work with adults navigating stress, anxiety, life transitions, relationships, caregiving demands, and challenges with balance and well-being. I especially enjoy working with women, helping professionals, caregivers, and others who spend much of their lives caring for and supporting others. My approach is warm, collaborative, strengths-based, and focused on helping you create meaningful, sustainable change in your life.

My approach to therapy is warm, collaborative, strengths-based, and integrative. I tailor our work to your individual needs, drawing from a variety of approaches while considering the whole person—your thoughts, emotions, relationships, life circumstances, values, and the ways stress shows up in your body. I see you as the expert in your own life, and my role is to provide a supportive, nonjudgmental space where we can build on your strengths, explore patterns, and develop practical strategies for meaningful and sustainable change.

Our first session is an opportunity to get to know one another and understand what brings you to therapy, what feels most important right now, and what you hope to gain from our work together. We’ll talk about your experiences, strengths, relationships, and current challenges, and begin identifying goals together. You don’t need to have everything figured out before we meet. I’ll answer your questions, explain what working together might look like, and give us both an opportunity to see whether I’m a good fit for you and your needs.