Hi! I’m Laura Joplin, LMSW. I’m a somatic psychotherapist, yoga teacher and meditation instructor, and my path studying yoga and meditation lead me directly to my work in the therapy room. It was by showing up in spiritual community that I met all the mentors who modeled the way to becoming a therapist, and the teachers who gave me the experiential practice tools I now use to help people heal.  

I am devoted to the integration of somatic and contemplative tools like yoga and meditation with therapeutic skills and practice. I believe that our contemplative practices can give us a blueprint for witnessing and holding things with empathy, awareness, resilience and authentic care— everything from the thoughts that pop into our heads during meditation to our big and often-challenging experiences like trauma and anxiety. I think it’s through this integration that we understand a key truth: we don’t need to be fixed, but seen.

Sessions with me are a place to land and center amidst the swirl of life, to develop skills around self-regulation and empowerment, to form goals and intentions for practice and for life, and to receive kind accountability around it all. I show up to session relaxed (comfy pants and flowy clothes!), warm and personable, humorous and aware of the challenging environmental circumstances we all face. And this is a core tenet of our work together, too: I have no intention of bypassing or separating the structural challenges of our world from the individual challenges my clients face.

I practice in a Trans, Queer and Non-Binary-affirming manner, and I work with grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions, gender identity considerations, career development, substance use, eating disorders and more. I use strengths-based, Internal Family Systems, Psychoanalytic and somatic frameworks, among others. I will meet you as the whole human you are, in the context of each part of your self and your world, and I am thrilled for and proud of you for your willingness to show up for yourself in the practice of living a life. It’s not easy, but it’s deep. 

~

Laura is currently in network with Aetna, and out of network with all other insurance plans, but can provide you with documentation to submit for out of network reimbursement. Her standard session rate is $140, with some sliding scale spaces available in an effort to remove financial barriers to treatment. Align Wellness's sliding scale spots are prioritized for trans and BIPOC clients. Laura's work at Align Wellness is under the clinical supervision of Melanie Storrusten, LCSW.