Laura Goodspeed, MFT

Specialties

The issues I work with most frequently:

* Relationship issues — should I stay or go? Is this enough? Is s/​he right for me?

* Anxiety and depression

* Stress from employment in high pressure industries (technology, software & engineering, medical professionals, law enforcement, fire/​EMS personnel, social work, etc)

* Loss of a partner, through death, divorce or the end a relationship

* Communication in relationships — how do we talk about the hard stuff without having a huge fight?

* Living with cancer and cancer survivorship

* Coping with chronic illness or pain

* PTSD, trauma, issues from childhood abuse or neglect

* Substance abuse, addictions, and recovery (both secular and 12 Steps approaches, including harm reduction)

* Self esteem — why do I feel so badly about myself, and how can I feel better?

I work from the assumption that you are the expert on your life, not me, and that you just need some help getting «un-​stuck.» I won’t judge you, or tell you what choices to make, but I will make suggestions about how to create the changes you desire, including practical, tangible actions you can implement right away. I will listen compassionately, ask questions, and then guide you to figure out what is keeping you from your best possible life.

My office is on the border of the Mission and Bernal Heights neighborhoods in San Francisco, blocks from the Cesar Chavez St exit of 101. I offer a sliding fee and free initial consultation, and my office is dog friendly.

History

Established in 2011.

Laura Goodspeed, MFT moved into private practice in 2011, after more than 15 years in counseling, social work and clinical case management with community-​based mental health and non-​profit agencies. Laura now dedicates her time exclusively to her thriving psychotherapy practice, providing counseling and EMDR (an evidence based treatment for trauma related disorders) to individuals, couples and groups. Laura is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and New College of California, both institutions which place a strong emphasis on social justice, cultural competence and the idea that our individual struggles cannot be distilled from the larger socio-​political framework in which they occur.

Meet the Business Owner

Laura G.

Business Owner

Laura Goodspeed is highly experienced working with grief and loss issues, relationship challenges, substance abuse and addiction, trauma related disorders, and chronic pain and health problems. Her work experience, training and educational background have provided her with extensive knowledge of interpersonal relationships, recovery from trauma, and co-​occurring disorders, such as depression that is concurrent with chemical dependency, or PTSD that co-​exists with auto-​immune illness. Her clinical style is warm and compassionate, with an emphasis on truly understanding where a person is coming from, and then building on the individual’s existing strengths and abilities. She is highly skilled at helping to create new ways to address old problems, and is able to provide challenges to outmoded patterns of thinking and behavior in a non-​threatening manner.