Laura Baumgart, MA, LCSW
In 10 years of clinical experience, she has worked within multiple populations in diverse settings. Whether it was working with families and children in a village in India, working with adults living with HIV/AIDS on the West side of Chicago, or homeless youth, Laura found that the most important part of the experience was building a therapeutic relationship grounded in collaboration,understanding, and the shared connection between people. Laura is a relational, culturally sensitive therapist who is committed to a therapeutic process that fosters human dignity and honors each individual’s unique path toward personal development. Laura brings knowledge and experience in trauma therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, family systems, mindfulness practices, body-centered psychotherapy, and psychodynamic theory.
Laura received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Michigan State University. Soon after graduation, she moved to Utah to work as a field instructor at a wilderness therapy program. During this time, she discovered the power of wilderness as it relates to personal growth, internal reflection, and healing. She helped students discover their strengths and an internal sense of direction through the wilderness and sense of community. Laura worked in wilderness therapy for three and half years before moving back to the Mid-West to pursue her master’s degree in social work at The University of Chicago.
While studying at The University of Chicago, Laura reconnected with adolescents and young adults as a milieu therapist at a residential treatment center. She served youth suffering from chronic mental illness, emotional disturbances, and behavioral issues. Laura also worked in a program that served and advocated for equal educational rights and services for minority youth in the Chicago area. To maintain her connection with wilderness therapy, during her first summer in Chicago Laura began volunteering at an adventure therapy program that served inner city at-risk youth.
After completing her master’s degree in social work, Laura worked as a psychotherapist at a community mental health agency. She served individuals experiencing a variety of mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. She facilitated numerous psychotherapy groups, including an outpatient Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and a mindfulness-based movement group. Through a two-year fellowship program, Laura received extensive training in the treatment of trauma.
Laura’s passion for working with adolescents and their families and love for the wilderness brought her back to the desert and mountains of Utah. She believes deeply in the power wilderness holds as a setting for facilitating personal growth, self-empowerment, and reestablishing deeper connections in families. She believes that lasting change occurs when the whole family is involved in the healing process. Laura is honored to work alongside adolescents and their families as they reconnect and co-create meaningful changes in their lives.
In her free time, Laura enjoys traveling, biking, hiking mountains, writing, and art. She is passionate in learning about different cultures, healing practices, and rituals of rites of passage. Laura also practices yoga and meditation, and body centered healing.