* Counseling and PC Services are Virtual
With 36 years of experience, I have devoted my career to supporting individuals as they face life’s most complex challenges, including personal illness such as cancer/chronic pain, caregiver burnout, grief and loss, anxiety, and relationship uncertainty. My work encompasses helping people process changes in their relationships, navigate divorce, heal from trauma, and find new paths through daily struggles such as anxiety and fear. I am licensed to practice in Indiana and California.
Specialty Areas:
· PERSONAL ILLNESS
· CAREGIVER BURNOUT
· GRIEF
· ANXIETY
· RELATIONSHIP STRUGGLES
· DIVORCE
· TRAUMA/PTSD
I provide guidance and support in an environment free of judgment. Therapy is not about “fixing” emotions or rushing the recovery process; rather, it is about recognizing the complexity of your experience and helping you discover ways to move forward, whether through relationship counseling or individual support.
Caregiving—whether for a partner, parent, child, or friend—is both an act of love and a profound responsibility. Caregivers manage practical tasks, provide emotional support, oversee medical needs, and advocate for those they care for, all while juggling their own needs and obligations.
You may struggle with feelings of invisibility, being taken for granted, or guilt when your limits are reached. The demands can be relentless, and the rewards may be overshadowed by exhaustion, worry, and grief. Over time, the pressures of caregiving can affect your physical health, emotional well-being, and social connections.
Personal illness and caregiving can fundamentally alter our understanding of ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us. These experiences often arrive unexpectedly, disrupting life’s familiar rhythms and casting uncertainty over the future. Dealing with chronic illness can trigger fears of losing independence, changes in self-image, and a diminished sense of control over one’s body and future. It may also bring awareness of mortality, leading to feelings of isolation, frustration, and vulnerability.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic mental health condition characterized by excessive and persistent worry and anxiety that is difficult to control. Symptoms include excessive worry and anxiety about various events or activities, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, restlessness or feeling on edge, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances.
My treatment approach to GAD involves anxiety therapy, specifically Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which focuses on identifying and challenging the negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to your anxiety. You will learn to recognize your irrational or unhelpful beliefs, reframe them, and develop more rational and constructive ways of thinking.
Abuse—whether emotional, physical, financial, or sexual—can have lasting impacts on mental health and wellbeing. Survivors often face complex emotions, trust issues, and trauma that can be difficult to navigate alone.
My treatment of sexual abuse survivors has led to an accumulation of experience and the publication of my book related to the treatment of sexual abuse suffered in childhood. My book, "Choosing to Heal," published by Routledge is a resource for clinicians or survivors seeking t understand the impact of sexual abuse.
This can arise after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events, including abuse, accidents, military service, natural disasters, or other life-threatening situations. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and avoidance behaviors.
To address these issues, your sessions will include an anxiety therapy approach using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on the relationships among your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This therapy targets current problems and symptoms, and also aims to change the patterns of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that lead to your difficulties in functioning.
Grief is not limited to loss after death; it is a complex experience shaped by various factors such as the loss of loved ones, declining health, shifting roles, or the disappearance of familiar certainties. These losses can shake our sense of safety, belonging, and purpose.
Grief brings a range of emotions—sorrow, anger, guilt, confusion, and at times, relief. For some, grief is immediate and intense; for others, it unfolds in waves, sometimes long after the loss. The grieving process rarely follows a straight path. Some days bring clarity and hope, while others are marked by emptiness and despair.
For those struggling with grief, seeking support therapy can be beneficial. There is no single 'right' way to grieve, and comparisons with others may be both unfair and unhelpful, as every individual's journey is unique.
Healthy relationships are foundational to wellbeing, but challenges such as communication breakdowns, infidelity, trust issues, and mismatched expectations can arise. My therapeutic approach to relationship counseling follows the Gottman Method of relationship therapy. You will not spend your sessions rehashing arguments but instead focus on learning how to gain more insight into how to listen and communicate with your partner, with an emphasis on vulnerability.
The end of a relationship is a life-changing event that often brings up an array of emotions, including sadness, anger, frustration, and confusion.
My role will be to help you manage these emotional hurdles through anxiety therapy and guide you in processing your feelings, setting goals for your personal growth, and learning healthy coping mechanisms.
Therapy is not just about surviving the breakup, but also about growing beyond it.
There may be logistical challenges—child custody, dividing assets, and legal battles—that can make an already tough time even harder. I cannot provide legal advice but I have worked within the court system as an evaluator, and Guardian ad litem, and therapist so I understand the additional struggles which sometimes occur when a relationship or marriage ends.
Parenting coordination is a court-ordered or mutually agreed-upon process for high-conflict co-parents to resolve disputes and improve communication, focusing on the child's best interests and the implementation of parenting plans. A parenting coordinator (PC) assists parents in managing conflict, making day-to-day decisions, and educating them about their children's needs. The PC's role can include coaching, case management, and binding decision-making for minor issues, helping to keep families out of court and fostering healthier co-parenting relationships. The PC court order is usually for 2 year renewable contracts. Please email me to request the contract for review which includes fees and expectations. ( lauraellsworthcounseling@gmail.com).
A court order needs to identify the purpose of the evaluation. This might include identifying personality factors which may impede parenting or co-parenting, suggest parenting plans, or a custody recommendation. Unless both parents are ordered the evaluator will not make custody recommendations.
*I will request documents including but not limited to; medical, mental health, legal history, Department of Children’s Services, school records, court records, guardian ad litem reports, employment, and military records.
*I will conduct interviews of the parents, children, collaterals, and do parent-child observations. A home visit may be performed.
*You may be asked to fill out questionnaires related to yourself or children the evaluator views as necessary to obtain information.
*The process generally involves an informational interview followed by
the administration of one or more psychological tests. The testing is usually performed in two appointments followed by a closing interview to discuss questions I may have about specific scores generated by your answers, collateral interviews and documents reviewed.
*At the end of the evaluation, I will send a written report to the attorneys/referral source/collaborating evaluator unless the court requests the written report be provided directly to the court.
*Please email me to request a copy of my informed consent which outlines fees and other procedures.
This will be determined by your eligibility and benefits if you want to utilize insurance. I recommend you contact your insurance membership services phone number on the back of your card. In some cases I can run benefits and provide a good faith estimate based on information received from your provider related to network status, deductibles, co-pay/co-insurance. I will submit your insurance, however you will pay an estimated fee at the time of service related to the identified estimate. Any fees not covered are your responsibility. Since all counseling services are provided virtually you may pay by credit card, Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App at the time of service.
Self-pay clients will be charged on a sliding fee scale. Please inquire. The fee scale is $125-$225 per 50 minute hour.
THERAPY with COURT INVOLVEMENT
If you are court ordered for counseling or involved in litigation, there may be additional fees not covered by insurance, such as collaboration with attorneys, other providers, emails, and report writing. An informed consent with a retainer for unbillable insurance fees will be required.
PARENTING COORDINATION
Please inquire and I will email you an informed consent which outlines fees and procedures. Insurance will not pay for these services.
EVALUATIONS
Please inquire. Insurance will not pay for these services. Most evaluations begin at $4000 per adult.