Meet Laura
As a Certified Thanatologist and Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Laura
provides understanding, knowledge, and compassionate support while
coming alongside those experiencing grief and loss. Her experience
includes many different facets of bereavement, including work with hospice
patients, caregivers of dementia patients, survivors of traumatic loss,
families of organ donors, and those anticipating or grieving the death of a
loved one.
She is passionate about creating space for people to openly discuss death
and bereavement, with hope for a society in which we support each other in
grief and eradicate shame in loss.
Laura recognizes that each loss is unique and everyone grieves differently.
With this in mind, Laura’s gentle, warm and understanding approach serves
to provide clients with what they need to address their grief, taking into
account past losses, trauma, personality, family dynamics, and core beliefs.
Laura normalizes each person’s experience of grief while acknowledging
that no two worlds shatter in the same way when someone dies.
Laura holds Masters’ in Thanatology and Clinical Mental Health
Counseling, and is certified through the Association for Death Education
and Counseling (ADEC). She integrates research-based grief therapy with
an existential approach, viewing our basic challenges in daily existence
through the bigger lens of what it means to be human. Her counseling
services support individuals seeking help with:
● Grief and bereavement counseling
● Complicated or prolonged grief
● Anticipatory grief and caregiving transitions
● Loss related to illness, trauma, or life changes
● Support after sudden or traumatic loss
● Meaning-making and rebuilding after loss
What is a Thanatologist?
Thanatology, derived from the Greek thanatos, “death”, is the study of
death, dying and bereavement. A thanatologist is a professional,
knowledgeable in the social and psychological matters surrounding death,
loss, and end-of-life.
In addition to grief therapy services, Laura creates death and grief
education material, empowering people to understand their own
experiences of loss and process their grief.
Our History
Partners for Healthy Lives was founded in December 2015 by Angela Begres, LCSW. The organization strives to promote mental health and awareness through providing Mental Health First Aid training, counseling services, and other efforts aimed at reducing the stigma of mental illness.
Our Values
Compassionate Care: Commitment to providing care to individuals through relationships built on empathy, respect, and dignity.
Affirming Diversity: Commitment to providing culturally responsive services by recognizing, respecting, and celebrating differences and similarities through cultural humility.
Integrity: Commitment to an ethical practice as put forth by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Our Mission
Our mission is to make mental health “visible” and to make mental health treatment common and assessable, through a holistic approach we use evidence-based, compassionate care aimed at reducing stigma and meeting the needs of our community.