Laura Phen

Laura Phen is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 25 years of clinical experience. She focuses on practical, direct support for people coping with anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy concerns, trauma, and anger. Her tone is warm and steady, aimed at helping people feel heard and understood from the first meeting.

She keeps sessions straightforward and goal-oriented. Clients talk about what feels most urgent, and she helps break those issues into manageable steps. She uses approaches that center the person’s needs and values, then adds tools that fit daily life. Small changes in skills and thinking often lead to clearer routines and calmer moments.

Laura blends client-centered methods with cognitive behavioral tools. That means conversations start with what matters most to the person, then move toward testing new patterns and choices. She also draws on dialectical behavior strategies and mindfulness practices to help regulate intense emotions and reduce reactive behavior.

Her background includes a wide range of clinical settings across 25 years of practice. This includes work with people navigating grief, compassion fatigue, sleep problems, chronic health concerns, ADHD, and mood conditions such as bipolar disorder. The experience offers practical perspectives on coping and planning for life’s stresses.

Sessions are offered in English and are based in South Dakota. Before booking, readers should confirm current session options and scheduling details. To begin, a short intake questionnaire and scheduling step are used to match needs and timelines.

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely to what the person needs and meeting them there. In practice this looks like open conversation, reflective questions, and collaborative goal-setting to guide each session. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and introduces simple exercises to shift unhelpful patterns, which can help with anxiety, depression, and anger. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete skills for managing strong emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness, useful when reactions feel intense or overwhelming.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. The therapist will work together with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That collaborative discussion can include trying different tools and adjusting the plan as needs change.

Confirm the current session options before booking, as formats are listed by the therapist. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy routine, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also make it simpler to practice skills between sessions and to bring real-life moments into discussion. Ask about scheduling and session logistics when you start the intake questionnaire to match the work to everyday life.