Lura Smedstad , LPC

Lura Smedstad blends a deep respect for the spiritual Source each person carries with creative therapeutic art practices and a solid cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) framework to support meaningful change. She has worked with both adults and teens for many years, helping people move through trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and loss toward practical, sustainable life goals and healthier relationships. Her work emphasizes individualized care and adapts to the needs of each person or couple she meets. Her clients describe her approach as "direct but compassionate!" and Lura often invites clients to reconnect with what she calls their "Voice of Wisdom" as part of the healing process.

Lura’s professional background includes ministry-informed counseling and formal clinical training. Early in her career she served as a Ministerial Partner alongside her husband, a Unity Minister, in churches across Clear Lake, Texas; Taos, New Mexico; Charlotte, North Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; and Key West, Florida. After relocating to Minneapolis in 1993, she and her husband established a school offering a three-year course of study focused on personal growth and spiritual maturity, which they led for ten years and which attracted students from many helping professions.

She completed practicums in both counseling and art therapy while working for a psychiatric hospital in Key West, earned a BA in Fine Arts in 2006, and completed a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Art Therapy in 2014. Lura is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Minnesota, and she moved her practice to a home office to provide telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. She continues to accept new clients and offers therapy tailored to individual goals and life transitions.