Lara Shemali, LMHC

Lara Shemali is a Washington-based mental health counselor with 29 years of experience. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. Lara also supports people coping with trauma, abuse, and substance-related concerns while they work toward recovery and better day-to-day functioning.

Her approach is practical and person-centered. She uses methods drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, and client-centered practice to help people clarify values, change unhelpful patterns, and improve communication. Sessions focus on small, doable steps that fit into busy lives.

Lara has worked with a wide range of issues related to attachment, abandonment, commitment concerns, and body image. She also addresses blended family stress, chronic illness and pain, dissociation, and complicated mood or behavioral concerns such as Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. Clients bring both everyday pressures and deeper relational wounds.

She recognizes that starting therapy takes courage and offers flexible scheduling to help fit sessions around work and life. Lara aims to create a nonjudgmental space where people can talk through difficult feelings and build clearer goals. She emphasizes collaboration and practical skills that carry into daily routines.

To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions based on her availability. Lara welcomes people who want steady, experience-based support while they work on midlife transitions and other life challenges.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people identify what matters most to them and take small committed steps toward those values. It is useful for anxiety, stress, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on recognizing and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, and it can be helpful for depression, anxiety, and coping skills work. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) centers on understanding and shifting emotional responses in relationships to improve connection and communication.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will ask about your goals, daily routines, and what has or hasn't helped before. Together you can try methods from different approaches and adjust based on what fits your needs and preferences.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm available online options before booking. Many people find that remote sessions make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce travel time. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT, CBT, and EFT techniques to work over distance so that skills practice and relational work continue between sessions.