Laura Hanson

In the summer between middle school and high school, I started volunteering at a camp for kids with mental and physical challenges. This is where my path to a helping profession began. In college I was exploring, both mentally and geographically, by studying Buddhism around the world. Eventually the two merged together as one and I began work in the mental health field in 2006, first as a paraprofessional and then with my Master’s in hand in 2009. I say that I started at the top of the intensity ladder and worked my way down. My very first mental health positions were in locked residential treatment facilities for aggressive youth. Over the years, I worked as in-home family crisis therapist, runaway and homeless youth counselor, partial hospital school program clinician, and then as a public charter school social worker. Every step of that journey has been unique and invaluable. With so many experiences and many more years under my belt, I was thrilled to branch out into private practice in 2022. There is so much knowledge available to us from those who came before. As a true nerd of all things that I love, I read as much new mental health research as I can, with a special passion for relationships and healthy sexual development. My current favorite influences are Akilah Riley-Richardson, Lucie Fielding, Emily Nagoski, Tarana Burke, Esther Perel, John and Julie Gottman, Brene Brown, Jack Kornfield, and Pema Chodron. That’s the professional stuff, but what about the personal. Well, I developed a love for mental health specifically after having a first, incredible therapist help me through a tumultuous time in my teen years. A trauma had kicked off some depression and panic attacks that I may not have found my way out of without such an adept guide. Having experienced the benefits of therapy firsthand, I was then able to use therapy as an amazing tool intermittently throughout my life. A special shout-out to all of my fabulous clinicians. It is with their support and guidance that I have weathered some treacherous storms and become this current version of myself. For balance, I love on my pets and partners, workout, and meditate. For creativity, I am learning audiobook recording and teaching dance fitness classes. When I find free time, I read, play board games, and connect with the people and communities I care about.