- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
About Laura
Laura Pengelly is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Pennsylvania with 22 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing relationship and family stress, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, anxiety, depression, grief, and anger. She also supports concerns such as intimacy, self-esteem, career stress, and mood disorders.
Her approach is practical and interactive. She listens to how someone is looking at a problem and helps them test different ways of responding. She often uses cognitive behavioral ideas to identify unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. She also draws from narrative and solution-focused methods to help people reframe their stories and find manageable steps forward.
Pengelly has long experience with trauma and incorporates trauma-focused strategies when they are appropriate. She has worked with people affected by attachment issues, blended family difficulties, communication problems, and a range of mood concerns. She has also supported people dealing with autism spectrum questions and young adult transitions.
Sessions tend to focus on clear goals and practical strategies that can be used between meetings. She helps people practice new responses to anger, improve communication, and reduce ongoing stress. Where trauma is present, she works with approaches aimed at making distress more manageable over time.
People who choose her can expect a therapist who values respect and straightforward work on the issues they bring. To begin, the site’s matching process can be used to schedule a first session and outline initial goals.
How her approaches translate to online work
CBT focuses on spotting thought patterns and testing small behavior changes. Online sessions can include setting clear practice tasks between meetings and reviewing what worked. Narrative Therapy helps people separate themselves from a difficult story and rewrite how they describe problems. In video or phone sessions this often means talking through alternative meanings and mapping different life events. Solution-Focused Therapy centers on concrete next steps and small, achievable goals. This approach is useful when someone wants brief, action-oriented change. Deciding which approach to use is collaborative. The therapist will review a client’s concerns, goals, and preferences and suggest methods to try. If trauma-focused work is needed, she will discuss whether trauma-focused strategies fit the situation and move at a pace the client finds manageable. Confirm the exact online session formats before booking using the site’s matching tools. Practices that commonly help people online include shorter check-ins that fit into a workday, sessions without video when bandwidth is limited, or standard-length therapy appointments for deeper work. Online work can make it easier to keep therapy consistent and to practice strategies in daily life, while the therapist helps adjust techniques to each person’s routines and needs.Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
22+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with relationship and family stress, parenting problems, trauma and abuse, anxiety, depression, grief, anger, and related issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is interactive and practical, using cognitive behavioral, narrative, and solution-focused ideas to test new ways of thinking and acting.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 22 years of experience working with individuals and families across a range of concerns.
What credential and location are listed?
She is an LMFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - practicing in Pennsylvania.
Which languages are offered and can international clients join?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session options before booking by using the matching and scheduling process on the site.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session through the site.