Laura Scales , LMFT

Laura Scales brings a blend of practical life experience and clinical training to her work with individuals, couples, and families. She began her professional journey in roles that centered on supporting and empowering others - from caring for people with chronic illness and severe disabilities as a home health aide to teaching rock climbing, ice climbing, sea kayaking, and swimming to diverse groups. She also worked with elderly residents in a senior living community, designing activities to enhance quality of life. Those years of hands-on care and adventure inform how she approaches therapy, emphasizing presence, resilience, and the possibility of transformation.

One of her notable personal achievements is summiting Mt. Aconcagua, the highest point in the western hemisphere at 22,837 ft, an experience that deepened her ability to be fully present and centered in the moment. She completed a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Argosy University - Denver and completed a practicum at West Springs Psychiatric Hospital. She then worked in a community mental health outpatient clinic as an intake, individual, and group therapist, gaining experience with clients across the lifespan and a wide range of concerns.

Laura is a LMFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - and now practices in private care, offering evidence-based approaches tailored to each person’s needs. She believes mental health and well-being are closely tied to the quality of relationships and that clients are the experts on their lives. Her approach is collaborative and strengths-focused, drawing from Internal Family Systems, cognitive behavioral techniques, dialectical behavioral strategies, solution-focused methods, and other evidence-based practices to address depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, relationship challenges, anger, and more. Outside of work she spends as much time as possible in nature, which she finds restorative and grounding.

Evidence-Based Approaches for Online Relationship and Mood Work

Laura uses Internal Family Systems to help clients understand the different parts of themselves - the protective, vulnerable, and critical parts - and to build greater internal harmony. This approach can be useful for people working through trauma, self-esteem issues, and complex relationship dynamics.

She also incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy, which links patterns of thinking to emotions and behavior. CBT offers practical strategies to identify and reframe unhelpful thoughts and to develop healthier coping skills, often used for anxiety and depression.

Dialectical behavioral therapy skills are another tool in her practice, teaching emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills support clients who struggle with intense emotions, anger management, or relationship conflicts.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Laura works collaboratively with each person, exploring goals, preferences, and responses to different techniques to determine the best fit. Licensed professionals tailor interventions over time so therapy remains relevant and effective for each client.

Online sessions offer practical flexibility - video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging make it possible to access support from home or on the go. These options expand access to consistent care and allow scheduling that fits varied lifestyles while maintaining the same clinical focus and therapeutic goals as in-person work.