Laura Hennessy, LCSW

Laura Hennessy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New Jersey who brings a compassionate, nonjudgmental approach to therapy. She has spent a significant portion of her career at a nonprofit community mental health center, working with both adolescents and adults and supporting people coping with mental health and substance use disorders. Her practice centers on building strong engagement, fostering insight, and strengthening motivation so clients can move toward meaningful change.

Laura affirms that feelings and life experiences matter and deserve to be voiced openly and without criticism. She encourages the courage it takes to seek a more fulfilling life and offers practical support and empowerment for those ready to begin that work. As an LCSW, she is trained to provide clinical therapy and to help clients explore patterns, develop coping strategies, and set achievable goals in a collaborative way.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Laura draws on client-centered therapy, which focuses on creating a respectful, empathetic space where the person s experience guides the work. This approach helps people explore their feelings and values and is useful for relationship concerns, self-esteem issues, and navigating life transitions.

She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a practical approach that examines connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to develop new coping strategies. CBT is effective for anxiety, depression, mood challenges, and stress-related problems.

Motivational interviewing is another tool she employs to strengthen a person s own motivation for change, particularly helpful when addressing substance use, ambivalence about change, or preparing for new habits.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapy process. Laura works collaboratively with each person to identify which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adjusts the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for scheduling and make ongoing work more accessible. These formats allow licensed professionals and therapists to provide consistent care while accommodating varied lifestyles and commitments.