Meet Laura Baker

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laura Baker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laura below.

Hi Laura, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I’ve been grappling with the concepts of resilience and resistance lately, finding myself drawn more towards the latter. While resilience has its place, there’s a subtle yet crucial distinction between the two that speaks to the core of my values and approach to life. Resilience, in many ways, centers on our ability to withstand and recover from harm. It’s about bouncing back, adapting, and surviving in the face of adversity. And yes, I am resilient – I’ve faced my share of hardships, discrimination, and harm. But merely surviving or individually thriving isn’t enough.

Resistance, on the other hand, is active and transformative. It’s about standing up, not just for myself, but for others. It’s about challenging and dismantling the oppressive systems that strive to dehumanize us and sever our connections to one another and the natural world. This resistance is where I find my strength and purpose. My resistance is rooted in a deep understanding of our interconnectedness. It’s fueled by the recognition that my liberation is bound up with the liberation of all beings. It’s about creating cracks in the façade of individualism that capitalism and white supremacy have constructed, allowing the light of community and collective healing to shine through.

This blend of resilience and resistance is what propels me forward. It’s what allows me to face the overwhelming realities of climate change, systemic injustice, and personal struggles without succumbing to despair. Instead, I channel these challenges into a fierce determination to create change, to vision and work towards a more equitable, compassionate world. My strength comes from the communities I’ve built and been a part of, from the ancestors and mentors whose shoulders I stand upon, and from the earth itself. It comes from the understanding that we are all, in the words of Gloria Anzaldúa, engaged in “bridge work” – transforming our scars into connections that span divides and heal collective wounds.

In essence, my resilience is not just about weathering storms, but about actively working to calm the waters for all of us. It’s about resistance, transformation, and the unwavering belief in our collective power to create a better, more just world.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

At the heart of my professional life is a commitment to creating affirming, accessible mental health services for marginalized communities. As co-founder and clinical director of Inclusive Counseling, I lead Northern Nevada’s only neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ specialized, owned, and operated mental health agency. Our work goes far beyond traditional therapy – we’re building a training institution dedicated to fostering the next generation of liberation-oriented mental health providers.

Inclusive Counseling embodies the belief that mental health care should be both clinically excellent and socially transformative. We prioritize financial accessibility, ensuring that quality care is available to all, regardless of economic status. Our practice integrates activism and community advocacy, recognizing that true healing often requires addressing systemic injustices.

The initiative I’m currently most excited about is our Gender Affirming Care Certificate Program, which will launch nationally in 2025. This comprehensive certificate program is grounded in critical pedagogy and ensures helping professionals have the knowledge, skills, and personal awareness they need to provide competent, compassionate care to trans and gender-expansive folks.

My work extends beyond Inclusive Counseling. I’m involved with The Nevada Gender Clinic, a nonprofit connecting transgender individuals with affirming services in our community. This work is crucial in a landscape where gender-affirming care is often difficult to access. I’m also proud to work with Crown the Foundation, an organization founded to honor the legacy of my dear friend Charlie Ingalls (CharlestheFirst) by offering substance use and mental health recovery grants to the bass music community.

Across all these endeavors, my focus is on creating spaces where individuals can explore their mental health needs, grow, and thrive, while also working towards broader social change. It’s a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of individual healing and community transformation.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Reflecting on my journey and the experiences I’ve shared, I believe the three most impactful qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge have been:

1. Critical consciousness: The ability to recognize and analyze systems of oppression has been crucial in shaping my approach to therapy and community. This awareness has allowed me to see beyond individual struggles and connect them to broader societal issues, challenge oppressive and harmful systems and behaviors, and cultivate loving, authentic spaces grounded in community care and transparency.
2. Relational skills: The capacity to build deep, authentic connections with clients, colleagues, and community members has been fundamental. This includes active listening, empathy, and the ability to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics.
3. Adaptability: The willingness to challenge traditional therapeutic models and systems of oppression and adapt to the evolving needs of clients and communities has been essential. This includes the resilience/resistance to face systemic barriers and the creativity to envision and implement alternative approaches to healing and social change.

For those early in their journey, my advice for developing these qualities would be:

1. Cultivate critical consciousness: Engage with diverse perspectives, particularly those whose experiences of marginalization are different from your own. Read widely on social justice issues, attend workshops, and participate in community organizing efforts. Reflect deeply on your own positionality and how it influences your worldview and practice. Build deep, meaningful community that shares your values and can check you when your behavior isn’t values-aligned.
2. Practice deep listening and authentic connection: Seek out opportunities to engage with people from all backgrounds. Practice being present and vulnerable in your interactions. Engage in your own therapy or healing work to develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
3. Embrace discomfort and continuous learning: Challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone regularly. Be open to feedback and criticism, viewing them as opportunities for growth. Experiment with different therapeutic approaches and community engagement strategies, always remaining open to new ideas and perspectives.

Remember, this journey is ongoing and often messy. Be patient with yourself, but also push yourself to grow. Seek out mentors and communities that align with your values and can support your development. Most importantly, stay connected to your core purpose and values, letting them guide you through the challenges and uncertainties you’ll inevitably face.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

The most helpful people in my journey have been those who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty in the messy work of authentic relationship. They’re the ones who challenge me, who hold up a mirror to my areas of unawareness, and who are willing to dance in the tension of deep, responsive community with me.

These collaborators aren’t just cheerleaders or yes-people. They’re the ones who call me out when I’m falling short of my own values, who push me to examine my privilege and biases, and who refuse to let me settle for easy answers in a world that demands nuanced understanding. They’re the ones who sit with me in the discomfort of growth, who hold space for my stumbles and celebrations alike.

I’m talking about the friends who’ve stayed up late into the night, dissecting the ways our activism might be perpetuating the very systems we’re trying to dismantle. The colleagues who’ve pushed me to confront my internalized oppression and to recognize when I’m unconsciously centering whiteness in my work. The mentors who’ve challenged me to move beyond individual therapy and into the realm of community healing and systemic change.

These relationships aren’t always comfortable. They’re often marked by moments of tension, disagreement, and the vulnerability that comes with truly being seen. But it’s in this crucible of authentic connection that I’ve forged the skills, qualities, and knowledge essential to my work and personal growth. These folks have taught me the value of resilience and resistance working in tandem. They’ve shown me how to hold both the pain of our broken systems and the hope for transformation. They’ve modeled what it means to be in true solidarity, not just allyship.

In essence, the most helpful people in my journey have been those willing to engage in the radical act of being in genuine, accountable community with me. They’ve helped me understand that our liberation is bound up together, and that the path forward isn’t about individual success, but collective transformation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inclusivecounseling.org
• Instagram: @inclusive.counseling