- Stress and anxiety
- Relationship challenges
- Addiction recovery
About Lara
Lara Shemali is a Washington LMHC with 29 years of clinical experience. She helps people reduce stress, manage anxiety, and address relationship challenges. She also works with trauma and abuse, addictions and recovery, low self-esteem, and depression.
She uses practical tools to help people cope with everyday pressures. That can include skill-building for anxiety, clearer communication around relationships, and strategies to support recovery from substance use. Sessions focus on concrete steps people can try between meetings.
Lara pays attention to attachment and abandonment concerns, and to issues such as body image, blended family strain, chronic illness or pain, and dissociation. She also supports people navigating commitment and communication problems, avoidant personality patterns, and the intersection of mood difficulties with other conditions.
Her work draws on a mix of approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Client-Centered methods, and existential perspectives. These approaches shape how she works rather than promising a specific outcome.
She recognizes that many young adults are juggling school, first jobs, money worries and relationship changes. Practical scheduling options are discussed to fit sessions around work or study demands. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
How her approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying personal values and taking committed steps toward them while learning to sit with difficult thoughts. It can help with anxiety, low mood, and motivation problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) emphasizes how emotions shape relationships and communication, and it can help people improve closeness and repair conflict.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lara will discuss your needs, goals, and preferences and adapt techniques collaboratively. That means trying a method, checking how it feels, and adjusting plans together rather than sticking to one fixed style.
Confirm current session formats before booking, as the biography does not list specific options. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around study or work, allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, and reduce time spent traveling. Ask about evening or weekend appointments if daytime hours conflict with classes or jobs.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
29+ years
Listed in
Washington
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and depression, plus related areas like addiction recovery and body image concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused and Client-Centered approaches to offer practical skills and relational work.
How much experience does she have?
She has 29 years of professional experience working with a wide range of concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Washington LMHC and practices from Washington state.
Are sessions offered in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She accepts international clients.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with therapy?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy through BetterHelp is for adults aged 18 and over and is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.