About Lara
Lara Shemali uses a practical, client-centered approach to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship concerns. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington with 29 years of professional experience. She talks plainly and aims to make therapy feel straightforward and doable.
Lara offers tools for anxiety reduction and strategies to build self-esteem and confidence. She also works with people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and those dealing with trauma or abuse.
Background and approach
Her work includes attention to body image, chronic illness and pain, and attachment-related struggles. In sessions she focuses on clear communication and finding steps that fit a person’s life. She draws on approaches that help people notice what matters, change unhelpful thinking, and strengthen emotional connection in relationships.
Sessions emphasize practical skills and steady progress over time. Lara recognizes that schedules are busy and offers weekday hours plus evening and weekend options when available. She encourages anyone who feels unsure about starting to take the first step and complete the short intake so scheduling can begin.
People who choose Lara can expect a respectful, nonjudgmental setting where their concerns are heard. She aims to help each person find manageable strategies for daily life and work toward clearer goals in therapy.
How therapeutic methods translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice their values and take small actions that match those values despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It can be useful for anxiety, low mood, and motivation struggles. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and trying new behaviors to break unhelpful cycles, which helps with anxiety, depression, and stress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a respectful, nonjudgmental setting where the therapist listens closely and follows the person’s lead to build confidence and clear goals.Choosing the right approach is part of therapy and happens together. The therapist will ask about your goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. From that conversation she will suggest which methods to try and adjust the plan as needed so it fits your life and needs.
Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules. Video calls let you work more like an in-person session with visual cues. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be a simpler way to check in. Live chat and text-based messaging are helpful for shorter check-ins or when written reflection fits your routine. These options give flexibility to meet consistently and keep progress steady across different life demands.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 29 years
- Licensed
- Washington
- Languages
- English