Laura Saponara
Registered Associate MFT #144503
Individual & Family Therapy
Advanced Proficiency in Spanish
she/her
lauras@alchemytherapy.org
Supervised by:
Joseph Hess, LCSW #106951
(704) 253-8718
Difficult emotions have something important to teach us. Anxiety, anger, sadness, guilt and feeling “stuck” are part of being human, as are joy and striving. As a therapist, I am here to explore emotional terrain with you. I help you find new vantage points and open up options you may not be able to see right now.
My style is warm, empathic, focused and at times direct. I am eager to see your strengths clearly and to draw on your imagination and your courage. I bring tools from the impressive research on how we heal anxiety, depression and trauma, from integrative, humanistic and psychodynamic approaches rooted in attachment, and from the field of harm reduction.
My focus is on depression, anxiety, and trauma, including active symptoms of PTSD, and on reducing harm caused by substances and other addictions, including screens. I also work with anger, and the ways that anger and grieving go together. In addition to a master's in psychological counseling, I hold a master's in communication studies and can support you to build communication skills helpful for overcoming loneliness and building stronger relationships, including friendships and romantic relationships.
Prior to becoming a therapist, I spent twenty five years working with organizations dedicated to social justice. My experience has taught me about the ways that racism, poverty, violence and discrimination of all kinds shape and constrain us and can lead to chronic stress and trauma. I also witness ways in which cultural strengths, social support, new coping skills and taking action to change systems can play a role in resiliency.
I enjoy supporting clients across a variety of challenges that arise at different stages of adulthood. My clinical experience ranges from supporting young adults who may be trying therapy out for the first time, to older adults confronting existential questions about end of life. I also have unique experience working with those who have been involved with the criminal justice system, as well as survivors of violence. I provide therapy in English and Spanish.
I believe that healing is available to all of us and that it is deeply personal and also inter-generational: You get to choose what to keep from the past, what to leave behind, and how to inhabit the present.
