About Us
Mind, Body + Attachment
Session Fees
Initial Consult (90 Minutes): $200.00
Session Fee (60 minutes): $140.00
Session Fee (90 minutes): $200.00
Couples.Family Fee (60 minutes): $200
Couples.Family Fee (90 minutes): $280
About Laura McLaughlin, M.A., LPC
Laura McLaughlin is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and another in Clinical Psychology from Temple University, where she was mentored by renowned mood disorders researcher Lauren Alloy. Currently, she serves as an adjunct faculty member in UC’s Substance Abuse Counseling Program and has seven years of experience in clinical research in psychiatry, behavioral medicine, and clinical psychology.
Laura specializes in helping people navigate life’s high highs and low lows, particularly those with Bipolar Spectrum Disorders (BSDs). With over a decade of combined research and clinical experience, she takes an integrative approach, blending medical and holistic perspectives. She also knows what it’s like to support a family member who struggles with serious mental illness and substance abuse. As a clinician, Laura appreciates every challenge her clients face, AND she sees opportunities for hope and healing. She offers evidence-based support in a nonjudgmental environment for anyone dealing with anxiety, trauma, relationship conflict, depression and mania/hypomania.
Recognizing the deep connection between mind and body, Laura incorporates cognitive-behavioral and somatic approaches, as well as mindfulness and compassion-based therapies. To address trauma at its root, she employs EMDR, Trauma-Focused CBT, and narrative therapy. For BSDs, she utilizes evidence-based treatments such as Family-Focused Therapy and Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy.
Laura recognizes that every person experiencing mood dysregulation has unique characteristics and patterns. She supports her clients with integrative care and offers evidence-based treatments that promote emotional stability and regulation skills.
Laura also provides support for spouses, parents, and families affected by mental illness.
Laura’s clinical practice is rooted in her passion for psychological and behavioral neuroscience research. She has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on bipolar and depressive disorders, sleep, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and the impact of family environments on child well-being. She has also co-led Counseling on Access to Lethal Means workshops for mental health practitioners at conferences, including the 2023 American Mental Health Counseling Association Conference.
With a combined four years of supervision and training under clinical psychologists in Philadelphia and licensed professional counselors in Cincinnati, Laura brings a well-rounded perspective to her work. In fall 2025, she will begin UC’s doctoral program in Counselor Education and Supervision, advancing her role as an educator and researcher while integrating cutting-edge scientific findings into her clinical practice.
“Is there a story you tell yourself that’s holding you back? In our therapy room, all emotions—anger, shame, fear—and every facet of your identity are welcomed, empowering you to rewrite stories that no longer serve you. Together, we can chart the ‘next right steps’ that align with your goals and values.
I look forward to speaking with you!”
At Rootworks Wellness, our team of experienced therapists offer individual and group therapy rooted in mind and body practices that help you explore and better understand your feelings, patterns, beliefs, stuck points and all else that shaped who you are and where you are today. The stories we create in childhood often shape our present experiences and the life we live in the now. Using presence, compassion, curiosity, creativity, and courage, we delve into the roots of your identity and motivations, empowering you to rewrite your life’s script.
Areas of Expertise
How We Help
Trauma Therapy
When things happen to us in our lives that are so scary, confusing, or dangerous, our brain creates a “file” in our memory that says – hey you, if anything that even resembles this happens again, go into THREAT mode. For each of us, our threat response varies, but what is constant is that our brains and bodies take over our system to help us survive from the threat. The automatic process of the brain and body is a survival mechanism to keep you safe from danger that still feels imminent (unconsciously). Trauma and trauma triggers happen because of this inherently human feedback loop. Our responses to trauma often leave us feeling, out of control, stuck or shameful - usually because we have misplaced responsibility onto ourselves, have limited emotional understanding of how or why this has happened to us, or we have developed negative beliefs about ourselves because of others harm to us. One job of healing requires us to reflect deeply into the past and help the mind-body see that you made it through, and that the trauma is no longer happening; or, if it is, that we have more choices in the chaos than we can see.
This is where EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, Cognitive Approaches, and other brain-body based approaches to healing lead the way. These approaches will help you to holistically reexamine, re-write and update your brain and nervous system so that you can respond to what is true and real in your life today rather than reacting from difficult traumatic triggers/patterns from your past.
How do we define trauma?
Big T and Little T: Life changes, losses and larger traumas that were out of your control, including accidents, job loss, divorce, grief loss, serious injury, sexual violence, life-threatening experiences, etc. Each one of us has a unique capacity to handle stress, known as resilience, which impacts our ability to cope with trauma, whether it is big T or little T. Even though the trauma is behind you, your brain and body might get “stuck” and be unable to metabolize the feelings and memories enough to making meaning and move on from the experience. In turn, this affects our ability to be clear headed, emotionally calm and at ease, productive at work, learn at school, feel safe in relationships, sleep or simply to feel joy, etc. In short, we find ourselves simply unable live our lives as we did before the experience. Therapy rooted in trauma-centered approaches can help you process the experience and heal.
Complex T: Long enduring traumas that were experienced over a life span and shaped how we came to know ourselves; including, foster care/adoption, childhood attachment wounding from a caregiver, caregiver emotional unavailability, familial addiction, racial discrimination, social and academic trauma related to neurodiversity and marginalization. The research is clear, complex trauma creates difficulties with establishing healthy relationships, self-confidence, including self-worth deficits, difficulties with relational boundaries, physical health deficits, learning, sleep, addiction, trusting others, and much more.
Each of us have accumulated trauma in our lives and, once treated through trauma therapy, we can experience true freedom emotionally, physically and relationally.
Stress
Stress is something that we all live with and is tolerable in small to medium doses. Stress in large amounts (especially daily) can wreak havoc in our lives, relationships and on our bodies. It can change our thoughts - which it turn changes our feelings - which in turn changes our nervous system responses. An overly active and alert nervous system sets the tone for our internal experiences, including our sleep, self-talk, mood and motivation. And, it hurts our overall physical health. Simply put, high amounts of stress can become a chronic emotional and physical problem until addressed and therefore, stress management is essential to overall health.
Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and/or depression can feel overwhelming. This may lead you to feel “stuck” or “frozen” in life without any control. In therapy, you will be safe to explore the underlying causes and triggers for your anxiety and depression while also cultivating effective strategies to manage it that promote relaxation, resilience, and overall well-being. By increasing awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, we can identify patterns and triggers that contribute to your symptoms. Through a combination of talk therapy, EMDR, mindfulness techniques, and body-centered practices, we will work to reset the balance within mind and body.
Our goal is to empower you to take back the reins of control in your life through taking an active role in your healing journey. Partnering with you along your journey, your therapist will support you with compassion, understanding, and a safe space to explore your true self. Together, we will quiet the overwhelm that anxiety and depression bring and work towards greater inner peace, resilience, and joy.
Attachment Healing
At Rootworks Wellness, we recognize the toll that mental and emotional suffering can have in our lives. We utilize evidenced-based approaches to help every client learn to understand their stress and triggers, relate to it in different and evolving ways, manage it and release it as our work together intensifies. We are passionate about helping our clients reclaim their own sense of balance and are here for you should our approach feel right for you.
To learn more, please feel free to contact us for a complimentary phone consultation.
Free Phone Consultation