ABOUT LAURA BYRNES
Laura Byrnes has been a High School Counselor for the past ten years, and has thus had extensive experience with anxiety, self-esteem, students coping with LGBTQIA+ issues, coping with stressors and loss, and transitioning from high school to post-secondary life. Other areas of interest include loss, relationship issues, parenting, and life transitions.
Laura completed her Perinatal Mental Health training through Postpartum Support International. This specialized training allows her to work with individuals who are experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders as well as individuals struggling with infertility, perinatal loss, and traumatic birth.
I live in Passaic County with my husband and our three boys. I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking and trying new recipes, and traveling.
Laura Byrnes’ approach to therapy:
I think the foundation to counseling is establishing relationships with my clients by building a strong rapport. From there, I consider myself the “tour guide” on a sightseeing tour. A sightseeing tour typically has a bus driver and a tour guide. The bus driver controls the route and then takes the group to see interesting and important things. The tour guide explains what people are seeing and the significance of those things.
I believe the client is like the bus driver, and I am like the tour guide. I lean towards a humanistic approach and strive to create a comfortable, non-judgmental environment where my clients can openly explore their lives and emotions. Ultimately, my goal is to help my clients develop a stronger, healthier sense of self, as well as an understanding of their feelings to help gain a sense of meaning in life.
As a mother of three, I fully appreciate the spectrum of emotions that come with motherhood. From grieving the loss of your “past self”, mom guilt, finding a work/life balance, and being overwhelmed with all of the new decisions that need to be made on a daily basis, I am here to help! Parenting can be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences and I am here to provide support to parents during this transition while also ensuring my clients prioritize their own self-care and wellbeing.
EDUCATION
- Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Marist College
- Master’s degree in Counseling – William Paterson University
CREDENTIALS
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC)
- Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C)
