Meet Laurel

My name is Laurel A. Santos. I was born and raised in Northern California and moved to New Orleans in early 2013. I received my BA in Psychology with a minor in Human Sexuality from San Francisco State University, then attended the University of San Francisco for my MA in Counseling Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy. I have worked with individuals, families and couples from different cultural backgrounds, and am most fulfilled with my work when I am able to help individuals better react, respond and understand the dynamics that surround them in their relationships.

In graduate school, I worked with adolescents at an alternative school in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco and also with OASIS of San Mateo County; I also volunteered for the Institute of Aging Friendship Line and the Association for Professionals Treating Eating Disorders while in graduate school. Upon completing graduate school, I began accruing my hours towards licensure through the non-profit Youth Justice Institute, providing counseling to adolescents in juvenile hall in San Francisco and holding individual and group counseling sessions for young women involved in the system.

When I moved to New Orleans, I began working with children and their families, teaching them skills and supporting them with behavior changes at school and home. Once I gained LPC licensure in 2015, I worked for Metropolitan ACT (Assertive Community Treatment), completing assessments for adults with severe mental illness. Before beginning private practice, I worked with school-age children through Daughters of Charity (now Ascension DePaul Services) and spearheaded their school-based program.