Laura Schmidt, LCSW-C

Laura Schmidt is a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, and trauma and abuse. She offers straightforward, compassionate support for people trying to cope with life changes and regain a sense of balance.

With 25 years of experience, Laura focuses on practical steps clients can use day to day. She listens for patterns in thinking and behavior and helps people try different responses. Sessions often include talking through difficult memories, improving communication, and building self-care strategies that fit real life.

Her approach draws on cognitive behavioral ideas to identify unhelpful thoughts and shift them, paired with somatic practices that pay attention to the body and nervous system. These tools are used to address mood struggles, post-traumatic stress, attachment and abandonment concerns, and issues such as isolation, impulsivity, and control problems.

Laura frames therapy as a collaborative process. She works with each person to set goals and practice new skills between sessions. The emphasis is on building resilience, greater self-understanding, and clearer choices when facing relationship or life transitions.

People who come to her often want help with communication problems, caregiver stress, body image, forgiveness, or finding more purpose. She guides clients toward practical change while offering steady support through difficult moments.

How her approaches guide online work

Laura integrates cognitive behavioral methods with somatic-informed practices. Cognitive behavioral work involves identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving to reduce anxiety or low mood. Somatic-informed approaches bring attention to breath, nervous system signals, and bodily sensations to help people feel more grounded after stressful or traumatic events.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, symptoms, and what feels manageable. Together they will try methods that fit the person’s needs and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not listed in the biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, require less travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people work with licensed professionals from different parts of Maryland while keeping sessions convenient for everyday life.