Encountering You

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up on Season 2 of Encountering You! After a short break, I am coming back rejuvenated and excited to be with you again. I wanted to take some time to let you in on what the new season is going to look like!   In this season of Encountering You, we are going to dive a little deeper into some familiar topics like your family of origin and why it’s important, bo...

Do you struggle with the idea of forgiveness? In today's episode, Laura will differentiate between forgiveness and reconciliation, the benefits of actual forgiveness, and what to do if you notice a place in your life where forgiveness might be hard but necessary for you to move forward. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss one! "When I Talk to God, I Talk Ab...

Do you see one parent as the "villain" and the other as an "angel"? One of the ways that our boundaries are shaped is when one parent holds the other accountable for their behavior. Today, Laura will talk about why this is important, what happens, and how it affects you in adulthood. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss one! "When I Talk to God, I Talk About...

Do you wonder what a healthy client/therapist relationship looks like? Today, Laura is going to discuss what to look for when looking for or evaluating your relationship with a counselor or therapist. Some things that are important include if the therapist is in counseling themselves, if they challenge me, if they do family of origin work and a few more. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be su...

Do you find yourself accepting responsibility for things as a child that weren't yours? Did you own the identity of being a "difficult teenager" or being the one who didn't ask about hard things? In today's episode, Laura is going to explore some common phrases people use to let their parents "off the hook" when it comes to emotional neglect. If any of these phrases feel familiar, you might be tak...

Was honoring your parents a mode of discipline in your house growing up? Do you have issues with discipline and obedience in your life as an adult? In today's episode, Laura will discuss the difference between these two ideas, why compliance at all costs is harmful and traumatic, what it looks like to struggle with discipline and obedience in adulthood, and ways to challenge yourself in the healin...

Did you know that you could be too close to your parents or your children? In today's episode, Laura will unpack the issue of enmeshment, why it is troublesome and even traumatic, what it might look like in adulthood and steps you can take to start the healing process. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss one!

Did you know the true definition of spiritual abuse? In this episode, Laura will unpack what spiritual abuse actually is, the types of spiritual abuse, and a few ways to challenge yourself to begin the process of healing. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss one!

Did you know that how we process trauma as an adult is directly impacted by what we experienced growing up? In today's episode, Laura is going to discuss adult trauma, how processing it (or not processing it) is impacted by your story, identify how your coping skills might keep that trauma stuck, and then how to process adult trauma in a healthy way. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure t...

Do you ever feel like you try and try but just don't feel like your relationship with God is getting deeper? In today's episode, Laura will talk about the ways in which your trauma can actually be a barrier to relationship with God. She will cover 4 areas that get in the way--comparison, attachment, your coping strategies and your parents. You will discover what might be getting in the way of a de...

Do you think it's too late for you to seek counseling? Do you think you are too far gone? Are you frustrated that counseling hasn't worked for you in the past? If any of this sounds like you, then today's podcast will be one you don't want to miss. As a close to the year 2022, Laura will help you assess the year we just had, identify what's holding you back, and help encourage you in your mental h...

Want to start off the New Year with a resolution you can keep? In today's episode, Laura will talk about the benefits of changing the word "but" to "and". You will learn how the word "but" has been used to cancel out feelings, how adulthood can bring the understanding we can hold more than one feeling (the "and"), and how to practice this. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe...

Do you ever feel trapped? In this episode, Laura will talk about the reasons why you might feel like this because of your story, how it might show up as an adult, and teach you a few ways you can help yourself through it! New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss one!

Do you ever feel like some of the things you do in counseling seem like they are not working? In this episode, Laura is going to talk about the importance of doing the work, even when you don't believe it. You will get a refresher on the concept of value and worth, learn what neuroplasticity is and how the brain changes, and how to increase your own brain's ability to change your patterns. New epi...

Do you feel like you are dreading the holidays instead of anticipating them with joy? This episode is the fourth in a series about when the holidays don't bring joy. In this episode, Laura will talk about the benefits of developing a practice of gratitude. You will learn about the toxic ways some Christians use gratitude, what the real purpose of gratitude is and how you can benefit from it, and h...

Do you feel like you are dreading the holidays instead of anticipating them with joy? This episode is the third in a series about when the holidays don't bring joy. In this episode, Laura will talk about boundaries with family during this season. You will get a refresher of the different types of boundaries, examples of what they are, and how to effectively use boundaries to create a better holida...

Do you feel like you are dreading the holidays instead of anticipating them with joy? This episode is the second in a series about when the holidays don't bring joy. In this episode, Laura will talk about feelings of sadness during this season. You will learn why experiencing sadness is essential to being healthy, the benefits of sadness, and what do we do to process sadness in a healthy way. New...

Do you feel like you are dreading the holidays instead of anticipating them with joy? This episode is the first in a series about when the holidays don't bring joy. In this episode, Laura will talk about feelings of loneliness during this season. You will learn about why you might struggle with more loneliness because of your story, the 3 relationships loneliness shows up in, and how to take respo...

How do you recognize the role you played in your family growing up? In this episode, Laura will talk about 3 different roles in the family. Were you the hero, lost child, the scapegoat, or a combination? Through this conversation, you'll learn what each role means, what it might look like as an adult, and how to walk through it in a healthy way. New episodes drop every Wednesday, so be sure to sub...

Most of us don't realize that we are actually not connected to our bodies. In this episode, Laura will talk about the ways in which we can become connected to ourselves and truly "be in your body".

In many of these episodes, Laura talks about being a "functional adult" but what does this mean, really? Today, she will discuss 5 components of the functional adult self.

Building a healthy community is an essential piece of "doing the work". Today I am going to talk about the benefits of healthy community and how to build it.

If you grew up with two parents, most people identify one as the villain and one as the superhero. This is rarely true. In today's episode, I will discuss the idea of balancing the roles of your parents and how EACH of them contributed to the woundings in your story.

Today we are going to talk about what it looks like to "do the work". Change involves so much more than just showing up to your counseling appointment.

In today's episode, we will dive a little deeper into shame; what it is, what it's not, and how to use it in a healthy way.