Team Spotlight: Laura Balin, LCSW
We are excited to give you all the opportunity to get to know one of our clinicians, Laura Balin, LCSW. Laura is especially interested in treating women who struggle with anxiety after trauma, and she is also interested in obsessive compulsive disorder. She is starting her EMDR training this month. Let’s get to know Laura!
How long have you worked in the mental health field?
Since the end of college, and working in a clinical capacity for 6 years. I started working for domestic violence agencies starting my senior year of college in New Hampshire, which led me to continue the work in Philadelphia where I am originally from, and then made a move cross-country to Washington state where I worked with a Native American community for 3 years. I've been in Maine and in my current role as a clinician and clinical supervisor for a little over two years now. I couldn't be more grateful and honored to be a part of Virago Wellness and to work alongside such a wonderful team!
What made you want to become a therapist?
I'll start by saying that I've wanted to be a therapist since I was 13, which seems a bit wild to think about since I probably didn't know entirely what that entailed (ha!), but I've always been tuned into the needs of others and always found people fascinating when taking the time to be quiet and listen. I would also say that personal life experiences, both positive and rocky, influenced my decision. Starting my own healing journey at age 16, I found it incredibly empowering talking with trusted people in my life, moving my body through yoga and somatic practices, and realizing that I had the power within myself to heal.
What area of women’s mental health are you most passionate about?
I have always been passionate about working with women that have experienced trauma or adverse experiences, and have more recently been focusing on the intersection of trauma with OCD and anxiety related symptoms. I am also trained in creative approaches including Trauma Art Narrative Therapy, and soon to be EMDR (in Jan) which I am very excited about!
What is your favorite part of being a therapist?
My amazing clients and being a witness to the resiliency and strength that each of my clients possess and/or discover within themselves through the course of therapy. I love learning about new modalities, staying up to date on evidence based practice, and love getting the opportunity to be creative in my approach.
What advice would you give someone who is just getting started in therapy?
Making that call or sending that email to begin therapy takes courage, but it is SO worth it. I always encourage folks to do a few phone consultations to ensure they find the right fit, because that is so crucial to the therapeutic process. Know that it won't always be an easy journey, but it's amazing what you might learn about yourself, your patterns, and most of all your strength and resiliency.
What would you be voted “most likely to_____”?
Most likely to show up early - I've always tried to be punctual!
And finally, what is your personal top self care skill?
Being able to pretty easily identify what I need, whether that means I need to move my body in some way, take a moment to rest, or seek out support from my network. This was definitely a hard learned skill but it's been really empowering to listen to myself and to what my body needs. It's truly been key through both my personal healing and professional development journeys.
Free time?
I love my weekly yoga classes - this time is so sacred and special for me! I also enjoy being outside in nature any chance I get. Whether that's taking a walk, hiking, or heading to the beach, nature therapy has always been a source of grounding for me.
You will be starting EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) training in January, what inspired you to be trained in this modality?
I've always been interested in trauma approaches and modalities, especially treating women that have experienced sexual abuse or interpersonal violence. EMDR has always been an interest of mine, and I know that EMDR will only further my ability to provide quality trauma informed care and evidence based practice to my clients. I've also gone through my own EMDR experience in therapy, and found that it was incredibly healing and empowering - It would be such an honor to be able to provide this healing experience to my clients too!
Thank you Laura, it’s been so nice to hear from you and I know our readers will enjoy getting to know you better.
