Laura Schmidt , MD, LCSW-C

Laura Schmidt is a Maryland-based therapist with 25 years of experience helping people work through anxiety, depression, stress, and relationship concerns. She supports people facing trauma, life changes, and common struggles related to women's issues. Her approach is practical and centered on the person's goals. She uses straightforward tools to help clients notice unhelpful thought patterns and try new responses. Part of her work is about rebuilding self-worth and body image, and learning ways to manage impulses, isolation, and difficult mood shifts. She also helps people navigate communication problems, divorce and separation, and caregiver stress. Laura brings together approaches that consider both mind and body. That means talking through thought patterns and also tuning into physical sensations and breathing when trauma or high stress shows up. She emphasizes strengths, helping people recognize skills they already have and build on them. Sessions focus on real-life changes a person can make between meetings. Laura works with people on practical steps to improve daily routines, cope with triggers, and repair strained relationships. She aims to help clients feel more grounded and able to make choices that match their values. Her background spans clinical work with adults over many settings and a long career supporting people through major transitions. Clients can expect a collaborative style where the therapist and client set goals together and pick methods that fit the person's life and needs.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Laura commonly uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and beliefs that drive anxiety, low mood, and relationship patterns. CBT involves noticing thoughts, testing them, and trying new behaviors to see what helps in everyday life.

She also incorporates somatic-informed work that pays attention to the body's signals - breath, tension, and nervous system responses - to reduce the physical hold of trauma and stress. This approach can help when emotions feel overwhelming or when patterns show up in the body first.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to match methods to their goals and preferences, and may blend techniques as needed. Clients and therapist review progress together and adjust the plan based on what is most helpful.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility for busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text messaging support shorter check-ins or ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or school schedules while keeping continuity of care.