01 · Who Laura works with

Laura works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and self esteem

Laura lists 9 specialisms and 29 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Laura chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Laura's own words

What Laura says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hello! My name is Laura Lininger, LCSW. I attended Indiana University and got my BA in Psychology and then moved on to Tulane University in NOLA for my Masters in Social Work. I have worked for many years doing child and adolescent therapy and then later added working with adults to the services I provide. I believe my child and adolescent therapy background has been a great foundation for working with adults who are dealing with childhood trauma or family of origin issues. As for treatment approaches, I use Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and EMDR. I also include a lot of mindfulness practice in my work with clients. I am proud to provide a safe environment for all races, genders, religions, and clients from the LGBTQ community.

Laura Lininger, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Laura works

The 5 approaches Laura lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Laura lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Laura's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Laura runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and ReprocessingEMDR

A structured trauma protocol in which you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a repeated side-to-side cue. The mechanism is still debated; the outcome data in post-traumatic stress is strong enough that it appears in national treatment guidelines.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Laura practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Laura's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Laura at this point.

2. Naming Laura specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Laura is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Laura.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Laura

Built from what Laura actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Laura's - Laura has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 31 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

Indiana

Licence

IN LCSW 34003425A, WI LCSW 10084-123

Licence number

34003425A

Licence expires

1 Apr 2028

NPI

1194709287

Years in practice

31

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Laura's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Laura. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.