Laurie Stricker , LMSW

With 27 years of clinical experience, Laurie Stricker, LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), brings a depth of knowledge in trauma, family systems, and substance-related care. She completed her Master of Social Work in April 1998 while working full time and began volunteering at a domestic violence shelter, a formative experience that shaped her focus on supporting at-risk families. Her early post-master's work in the foster care system expanded her understanding of child welfare, family dynamics, and the legal context that affects vulnerable children and caregivers.

Laurie later returned to her hometown in northeast Michigan to serve as an infant mental health specialist, gaining hands-on experience in trauma-informed family therapy and home-based intervention. That role strengthened her comfort working with families in their own environments and deepened her skills supporting young children and their caregivers. Subsequent work in a local hospital behavioral health program broadened her practice to include individual psychotherapy for people of all ages and backgrounds and gave her proficiency in inpatient settings addressing substance abuse and serious mental health concerns.

A move to work with the VA further expanded Laurie’s clinical expertise and professional perspective. Over the years she has integrated multiple therapeutic modalities and adapts treatment to meet each person’s needs, drawing on client-centered approaches, cognitive behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, solution-focused strategies, and trauma-focused care. Laurie is accepting new clients and works with people across a wide range of challenges, offering practical, collaborative support grounded in decades of practice.

Approaches and Online Care for Trauma and Change

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on understanding each person from their own perspective and creating a supportive, nonjudgmental space. It helps people explore feelings, build self-awareness, and make choices that fit their values and goals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a skills-based approach that identifies patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to distress and teaches practical strategies to shift them. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, stress, and related concerns where changing thought-action cycles can bring relief.

Trauma-Focused Therapy targets the effects of traumatic experiences with approaches tailored to processing trauma and reducing its day-to-day impact. It is useful for people coping with past abuse, loss, or other traumatic events and often integrates safety, stabilization, and gradual processing.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Laurie works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting techniques over time as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to engage using video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to attend sessions from varied locations and schedules, supporting continuity of care for people managing work, family, mobility, or geographic constraints while working with licensed professionals and therapists.