- Years in practice
- 12
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Virginia
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Family conflicts
About Laura
Laura Leatherman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who practices in Virginia. She brings 12 years of experience helping people navigate anxiety, depression, stress, and life transitions. Many come for help with relationship strain, parenting concerns, sleep problems, anger, and work-related stress.
She also supports people who have experienced trauma or abuse and those managing ADHD symptoms. Laura works in a straightforward, down-to-earth way. She listens first and aims to understand each person's real goals.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on practical steps that fit daily life, not abstract theory. She emphasizes respect, kindness, and a nonjudgmental approach. Her clinical work draws on client-centered principles, cognitive behavioral techniques, and solution-focused strategies.
That combination helps people spot unhelpful thinking, try small changes, and build better coping skills. Conversations often include concrete tools for sleep, stress, and mood management. Laura has worked across outpatient clinics, hospitals, residential programs, and emergency shelters.
That range gives her experience with varied life circumstances and pressing concerns. She uses that experience to tailor plans that make sense for each individual. Parents and caregivers often seek her help for parenting stress, blended family challenges, and caregiver burden.
She also helps people facing midlife questions, pregnancy and childbirth transitions, social anxiety, and issues common to young adults. Her approach centers on creating a strong working relationship and working together toward realistic change.
What Laura works with
Everything Laura lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Laura helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Trauma and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- ADHD
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Family problems
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Laura lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Client-centered work focuses on listening and responding to each person's priorities. In online sessions the therapist uses open questions and reflective listening to understand goals and tailor the pace of work. This approach helps when someone needs support with parenting stress, relationship concerns, or life transitions.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. Online CBT often includes practical exercises such as tracking sleep or testing unhelpful thoughts. These tasks can be reviewed during video calls or discussed over messages to help reduce anxiety and improve mood.
Solution-focused therapy emphasizes small, doable changes that move a person toward clear goals. In remote work this can mean brief goal-setting, tracking progress between sessions, and using focused check-ins to adjust strategies quickly.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. Sessions may blend elements from different approaches as progress unfolds.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation for deeper interaction, while phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or a quicker check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief updates, ongoing problem-solving, or when written reflection feels easier. These options make scheduling more flexible and help people fit therapy into busy lives.
Questions people ask about Laura
What concerns does she commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, anger, sleep problems, relationship strain, parenting concerns, trauma and abuse, and ADHD among other issues.
What is her general therapeutic style?
Sessions are collaborative and down-to-earth, using client-centered listening, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and solution-focused work to create practical steps.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 12 years of experience working in outpatient clinics, hospitals, a residential program, and an emergency shelter.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in Virginia and practices there.
Which languages and international clients are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and she does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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