Baltimore Independent Psychotherapist Hosts New Weekly Podcast
Laura Reagan is a psychotherapist who operates her own independent practice in Severna Park, Laura Reagan, LCSW-C Psychotherapy Services, LLC.
Reagan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology with an emphasis on violence against women from Old Dominion University. She also earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Her past experiences include working in a sexual assault crisis center in Anne Arundel County, serving as a legal clinic coordinator for a homeless persons representation project, doing in-home family therapy for Family Connections in Baltimore, working as an outpatient clinic therapist for Catholic Charities, serving as a hospital social worker and even working with the United States Navy as a sexual assault response coordinator. She is also a certified Daring Way™ facilitator and operates a weekly podcast.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"As a self-employed business owner, I have many responsibilities in addition to my primary work of offering individual and family psychotherapy, clinical supervision, consultation, groups, workshops and retreats. I manage the bookkeeping, marketing, attending continuing education to maintain licensure and doing everything else that comes along with running a business. I work with clients four days a week and host a weekly podcast called 'The Baltimore Annapolis Psychotherapy Podcast.'"
What is your favorite part about your daily duties?
"I love helping people connect deeply with themselves so they can develop meaningful and authentic relationships with the important people in their lives, whether it's through individual or group psychotherapy. And the podcast, which launched just last month, offers me the ability to share information with many more people than my direct services can. The interviews I've conducted for the podcast have allowed me to have fascinating conversations with interesting people locally and around the U.S."
How has your education and training prepared you?
"My graduate education in social work prepared me to become a psychotherapist and to work with systems, whether they are families, groups or institutions. Social work is all about connecting with people, so I think my education contributed to my willingness to put myself out there in that way. Also, a continuing education training I attended in 2014, The Daring Way™, which is based on the research of Brené Brown, helped me to believe that I can be brave and do new things."
What do you do to continue your education and training?
"Social workers are required to complete a certain number of continuing education hours in order to renew our licenses to practice. In Maryland, we are required to complete 40 hours during a two-year period."
Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
"People who are interested in becoming psychotherapists should carefully consider which type of graduate training they wish to pursue. Each state has different rules for psychotherapy licensing, so it's important to know whether the degree you achieve will allow you to be licensed to practice in the state you will live in."
Laura Catherine Hermoza has a lifelong love for writing. In addition to serving as a contributor to various media publications, she is also a published novelist of several books and works as a proofreader/editor. LC resides in Baltimore County.