Laura Lahay, MA, LPC
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Masters of Arts
Licensed Professional Counselor To make an appointment with Laura, please call 630-570-0050. You can also email Contact.OH@OakHeartCenter.com.
Treats the Following:Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, Faith-Based Counseling, Relationship Concerns, Couples Counseling, LGBTQ+ Support, Anger Management, Social Anxiety, Self-Esteem, Faith-Based Counseling
Ages Served: Children 9+, Adolescents/Teens, Adults |
Professional Experience
I received my bachelor’s degree in 2019 in Children and Family Ministries from Moody Bible Institute and received my Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in 2022. I completed my internship for graduate school with OakHeart Center for Counseling and Mediation in May of 2022 and was asked to be hired full-time after graduating. While in graduate school, I worked in multiple roles within the children’s ministry at a local church and gained much experience working alongside children, teenagers, and their families. I even participated as a mentor in a mental health support group for teens provided by the church. I have experience working with toddlers all the way through adults both in clinical and non-clinical settings.
Specializations and Treatment Approach
I currently have my LPC and I am honing my specialty in these areas:
Eating Disorders
Relationship Concerns/Couples Counseling
Anxiety
Depression
I also work in giving support to clients who are in the LGBTQ+ community and will engage in faith-based counseling services for clients who desire it.
In my therapeutic work, I choose to use a mix of evidence-based treatment modalities including, but not limited to, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Person-Centered Therapy. My goal is to meet clients where they are at, tailoring treatment approaches to best suit their needs. I feel honored to do therapeutic work with each of my clients. My goal is to provide a safe and welcoming environment that allows clients to utilize their values as the GPS. I can’t promise that there will not be hills or valleys on this journey, but I can promise to work hard to be a support every step of the way.
Eating Disorders
Relationship Concerns/Couples Counseling
Anxiety
Depression
I also work in giving support to clients who are in the LGBTQ+ community and will engage in faith-based counseling services for clients who desire it.
In my therapeutic work, I choose to use a mix of evidence-based treatment modalities including, but not limited to, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Person-Centered Therapy. My goal is to meet clients where they are at, tailoring treatment approaches to best suit their needs. I feel honored to do therapeutic work with each of my clients. My goal is to provide a safe and welcoming environment that allows clients to utilize their values as the GPS. I can’t promise that there will not be hills or valleys on this journey, but I can promise to work hard to be a support every step of the way.
About Me
What are your professional and personal values?
The values that drive my professional and personal lives are authenticity, curiosity, courage, kindness, generosity, and spirituality. Authenticity to me means being as real as I can with those around me, including my clients. I’m not about acting like I have it all figured out. Rather, I wish to share what I know and work together to navigate the journey ahead. I get a lot of enjoyment out of learning new things. Getting curious with myself and with the world around me is something I greatly value. To be courageous to me means not necessarily being the strongest person but being willing to be vulnerable and step boldly into the unknown, even if it is uncomfy. Kindness to me means all humans have value and worth and all are deserving of kindness and respect. I value being generous with my time, money, and energy for others. Finally, spirituality gives me hope and is my anchor in the midst of life’s changes.
What are some adjectives you would use to describe yourself and why?
I would say consistent characteristics about myself are that I am compassionate, resilient, down-to-earth, passionate, playful, and edgy. I care deeply about people and want my clients to feel seen, heard, and valued from the moment they step into my office. I also am a fighter and tend to not back down easily. I am not overly formal and will sometimes wear jeans and take my shoes off in sessions with clients. I care about people deeply and feel zealous about the work I get to do with others. I find laughter can be so healing so don’t be surprised if I crack a few jokes in sessions. I also have a bit of an edgy side, I have tattoos, wear leather jackets, and love rock music.
What are some of your favorite self care activities?
Some of my favorite self-care activities include reading, listening to music (particularly classic rock, punk rock, and metal music), spending time with friends/family, putting together puzzles/legos, watching movies, going on nature walks or being near a body of water, and playing video games.
What is your favorite quote?
One quote that I absolutely love is the saying “One day at a time.” I have this phrase as a tattoo on my arm and feel it is a daily reminder to me to slow down, be present, and attempt to live life each day at a time.
Another quote that I love comes from one of my favorite series (Harry Potter) and the quote is this: “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.” To me, this quote means that there is always hope, even amid life’s deepest pains and sorrows. Let’s be real, life can get pretty dark sometimes. One might have to do some digging to find the hope and light within the darkness, but I believe it is always there and am willing to go on the journey of finding it alongside my clients.
Why do you love being a mental health professional? What led you to wanting to be a therapist?
It is incredibly humbling and rewarding to get to walk alongside others in their journeys to find healing. It takes incredible bravery and vulnerability to ask for help and share deep fears, past traumas, or deep insecurities with a stranger. I tell my clients often how proud of them I am for showing up each week and doing the work because it is NOT easy. I wake up every day feeling so grateful to get the chance to be a small part of the journey that is this life for my clients.
Ever since I was young, I have had a fascination with people, their stories, the human mind, and relational patterns. In high school when I was determining what I wanted to do as a career, I had a friend say to me “You are a really good listener and seem to be so interested in people all the time, you should be a therapist.” That stuck with me. What further fueled my interest and passion for the mental health field was experiencing my own mental health struggles and engaging in (and still am engaging in) my own therapeutic work. Therapy has greatly changed my life and I wanted to be able to be a part of the work of making a positive difference in others lives.
The values that drive my professional and personal lives are authenticity, curiosity, courage, kindness, generosity, and spirituality. Authenticity to me means being as real as I can with those around me, including my clients. I’m not about acting like I have it all figured out. Rather, I wish to share what I know and work together to navigate the journey ahead. I get a lot of enjoyment out of learning new things. Getting curious with myself and with the world around me is something I greatly value. To be courageous to me means not necessarily being the strongest person but being willing to be vulnerable and step boldly into the unknown, even if it is uncomfy. Kindness to me means all humans have value and worth and all are deserving of kindness and respect. I value being generous with my time, money, and energy for others. Finally, spirituality gives me hope and is my anchor in the midst of life’s changes.
What are some adjectives you would use to describe yourself and why?
I would say consistent characteristics about myself are that I am compassionate, resilient, down-to-earth, passionate, playful, and edgy. I care deeply about people and want my clients to feel seen, heard, and valued from the moment they step into my office. I also am a fighter and tend to not back down easily. I am not overly formal and will sometimes wear jeans and take my shoes off in sessions with clients. I care about people deeply and feel zealous about the work I get to do with others. I find laughter can be so healing so don’t be surprised if I crack a few jokes in sessions. I also have a bit of an edgy side, I have tattoos, wear leather jackets, and love rock music.
What are some of your favorite self care activities?
Some of my favorite self-care activities include reading, listening to music (particularly classic rock, punk rock, and metal music), spending time with friends/family, putting together puzzles/legos, watching movies, going on nature walks or being near a body of water, and playing video games.
What is your favorite quote?
One quote that I absolutely love is the saying “One day at a time.” I have this phrase as a tattoo on my arm and feel it is a daily reminder to me to slow down, be present, and attempt to live life each day at a time.
Another quote that I love comes from one of my favorite series (Harry Potter) and the quote is this: “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.” To me, this quote means that there is always hope, even amid life’s deepest pains and sorrows. Let’s be real, life can get pretty dark sometimes. One might have to do some digging to find the hope and light within the darkness, but I believe it is always there and am willing to go on the journey of finding it alongside my clients.
Why do you love being a mental health professional? What led you to wanting to be a therapist?
It is incredibly humbling and rewarding to get to walk alongside others in their journeys to find healing. It takes incredible bravery and vulnerability to ask for help and share deep fears, past traumas, or deep insecurities with a stranger. I tell my clients often how proud of them I am for showing up each week and doing the work because it is NOT easy. I wake up every day feeling so grateful to get the chance to be a small part of the journey that is this life for my clients.
Ever since I was young, I have had a fascination with people, their stories, the human mind, and relational patterns. In high school when I was determining what I wanted to do as a career, I had a friend say to me “You are a really good listener and seem to be so interested in people all the time, you should be a therapist.” That stuck with me. What further fueled my interest and passion for the mental health field was experiencing my own mental health struggles and engaging in (and still am engaging in) my own therapeutic work. Therapy has greatly changed my life and I wanted to be able to be a part of the work of making a positive difference in others lives.
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I absolutely love the summer months. I love the great amounts of sunshine, the blooming of plants and trees, getting to do fun activities like swimming, boating, fishing, roller-blading, etc., and having extra time to spend with friends and family. A favorite memory I have of the summer months as a child was getting to swim pretty much every day (sometimes multiple times a day) in our backyard pool. I anticipate and look forward to these months as they approach, but I know for others, especially those who are recovering from eating disorders, the summer months can create discomfort, bring up immense insecurities, and feel overwhelming to navigate...(to read more, click on the link above).
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One of my favorite holiday experiences as a child was getting to help my mom bake dozens of cookies for the many people she wished to bless them with (family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.). I loved helping her put all the ingredients in the mixer. I would let her do the mixing because the electric mixer scared me at times, but she would then let me come help roll the dough into any cookie size I wanted and place them on the baking sheet. I begin to think about these special memories and the many yummy foods that are associated with them during this holiday season. I know for others though, especially those who are recovering from eating disorders, the holidays can be scary, overwhelming, and down-right difficult to navigate...(to read more, click on the link above).
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