We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laurel Roberts-Meese a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Laurel, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
The human mind is incredibly resilient. This is true both literally and figuratively; just as our brain can heal from traumatic injuries, so can we heal emotionally from traumas big and small. As a trauma therapist, I’ve seen it happen many times. The thing that creates so much agony and fear can be neutralized. This sounds absurd to people who are suffering, and many reject the possibility because they need their suffering to mean something. But you can keep the meaning while also moving into a healed chapter of your life. Witnessing this over and over again, both personally and professionally, has made me a very optimistic person.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m passionate about my work as a therapist, where me and my team focus on helping people through personal challenges to foster resilience and understanding. What’s special about our approach is the combination of classical psychological techniques with innovative therapeutic practices. This blend allows us to address a lot of issues effectively, from anxiety and trauma to relationship challenges. We have specialists in EMDR and LGBT issues, and we’re all virtual, which means people can access us from any of the states where we hold licenses.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Reflecting on my journey, three qualities stand out as particularly impactful: empathy, adaptability, and continuous learning. Empathy allows me to connect deeply with clients, understanding their experiences and emotions. Adaptability was crucial, especially when transitioning to virtual therapy sessions during the pandemic. Continuous learning has kept my practice current and effective, enabling me to integrate new therapies and approaches with tried and true methods.
For those starting in this field, my advice is to cultivate these qualities actively. Engage in regular training and workshops to stay updated, practice mindfulness to enhance your empathic skills, and be open to changing your methods or perspectives as needed. This combination will prepare you to meet challenges and client needs effectively.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Balance is so important. When we stretch ourselves outside our comfort zone, growth happens. While we all need to lean into our strengths, we don’t want to become lopsided. Wellroundedness doesn’t have to be the goal, but sometimes we’ve got to be able to do things we don’t naturally gravitate towards. For example, I really don’t enjoy social media marketing, but it’s a necessity in this day and age. I’ve outsourced some of it, but have to do a little myself. On the other hands, sometimes we find things we really love. I took a risk and signed up for a weeklong Search Engine Optimization intensive having no experience. I ended up LOVING it and spend a good portion of my time doing SEO for my company now. You never know where your undiscovered talents and strengths might be unless you explore.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laureltherapy.net
- Instagram: laureltherapycollective
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laureltherapycollective
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/laurel-therapy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzmtQve6GOsJt2z9XZ02nZA
Image Credits
@theotakesphotos, Caroline Tawney
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