Brenda Lauer

Brenda Lauer is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 15 years of clinical experience. She practices from a gentle, warm stance and centers sessions on each person’s individual needs. Brenda has worked in private practice and with people from a range of backgrounds, including military and first responders. She communicates with directness and compassion while helping people make practical changes.

Brenda focuses on stress, anxiety, grief, trauma and abuse, anger, and depression. She also supports people dealing with adoption and foster care concerns, aging and geriatric issues, caregiver strain, chronic illness or pain, cancer-related challenges, attachment and communication problems, and body image and relationship questions. Her experience includes helping people with complex presentations such as co-morbidity and neurodiversity.

Her counseling style is client-centered and collaborative. She listens first, then helps people expand their perspective and build useful skills. Brenda mixes techniques from cognitive behavioral approaches, acceptance and commitment work, solution-focused planning, and emotionally-focused methods to match what each person needs.

Brenda also notes experience addressing issues that arise at the end of life and in hospice contexts, offering support around grief and decision stress. She aims to help people find manageable steps and practical strategies during difficult transitions.

Brenda works with empathy and respect, and she encourages people to pick an approach that fits them rather than a one-size-fits-all plan. She welcomes conversations about goals, pacing, and what someone hopes to change before planning ongoing sessions.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then identify what matters most and take small steps toward those values. It is often used for anxiety, grief, and ongoing stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior and teaches practical tools to shift unhelpful patterns; it can help with depression, anxiety, and changing day-to-day habits. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) centers on recognizing and naming emotions to improve emotional processing and relationships, which can be useful for grief and attachment challenges.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Brenda will collaborate with each person to decide which methods make sense for their goals and comfort. She typically listens first, discusses options, and then tries short, focused steps to see what helps.

The practical benefits of online therapy often include easier scheduling, less travel, and the ability to fit sessions into a busy day. Because the profile doesn’t list specific session formats, confirm available options before booking. Many people find online sessions helpful for regular check-ins, skill practice, and managing stress when attending in person is difficult. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT, CBT, and EFT techniques to remote formats to keep sessions focused and goal oriented.