Laurel Nesbit, Ph.D., LMHC, Qualified Supervisor.

Why did you become a therapist? 

My interest in counseling grew out of my interest in community building. It’s hard for people to engage in community if we’re struggling personally. Part of why I became a therapist was and is to improve people’s connection with themselves—so they can improve their connections with others.

What can a client expect to experience in session with you? 

My broad goals always include creating a space where a client can feel welcome to be themselves, where they’re less preoccupied with how they might be seen by others and more in touch with their own inner experience.

If you could be the therapist to one celebrity, who would it be? 

Some sort of artist, but not one who was too famous! I’d be intimidated

How do you spend your free time? 

If I’m outside I’m either working in my yard or in/near the water. I read a lot, I write, I exercise daily, I like puzzles, speculative fiction, and Scandinavian crime dramas. I hang out with my niblings and family, and I love music.

What's your favorite quirk about yourself? 

I usually have between 2-4 beverages with me at all times. 

What does social justice mean to you? 

I believe social justice is a cornerstone of good counseling. It’s important to me, especially as someone with a number of privileges identities, that I’m always working to unpack my biases. In counseling, it means I’m sensitive to the reality that my clients hold many complex identities; I affirm these and explore how they impact day to day life. 

How do you believe change happens?

I think change happens at the pace of curiosity.