Compassionate psychology
Balancing Minds Wellness provides compassionate, empathic care rooted in connection, respect, and presence. The practice offers a safe, supportive environment for individuals and families navigating the lasting impact of trauma.
Services
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy provides one-on-one support for children, adolescents, and adults to explore emotions, build coping skills, and work through personal challenges in a safe and confidential setting. Sessions are tailored to each person’s age, developmental needs, and goals, and may include talk therapy, emotional regulation strategies, problem-solving skills, and supportive guidance. Individual therapy can help with anxiety, stress, school or work difficulties, emotional overwhelm, behavioral challenges, and general mental health concerns.
Couples Therapy
Couples therapy focuses on strengthening communication, rebuilding connection, and addressing relational patterns that contribute to conflict or emotional distance. Using attachment-aware and trauma-informed approaches, couples learn tools to reduce triggers, improve attunement, repair trust, and build a more secure and supportive relationship dynamic.
Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy offers a safe, regulated space to address the impact of acute, chronic, and developmental trauma. Treatment may include support for staying within the window of tolerance, nervous-system regulation strategies, parts-informed stabilization, Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or integrative trauma processing (paced and titrated), reducing dissociation, attachment repair, understanding triggers, and strengthening identity after chronic or developmental trauma.
Parent Coaching
Parent coaching provides guidance and therapeutic support for caregivers navigating their child’s emotional, behavioral, or trauma-related challenges. Sessions focus on co-regulation strategies, nervous-system understanding, communication tools, healthy boundaries, and practical ways to support progress at home.
Fees & Insurance
1
Out-of-Network (OON)
Many clients receive partial reimbursement from their insurance for psychotherapy services via OON benefits.
2
Good Faith Estimate
You are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate of costs under the No Surprises Act.
3
Payment
Payment is due at the time of service. Cash and check are accepted. Credit cards are not accepted.
Dr. Laura Ness, Psy.D.
Dr. Laura Ness, Psy.D. is licensed in New York and Florida with advanced training in Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Trauma Model Therapy, the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), Sand Tray Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and DID integration therapy.
She holds a Doctoral degree and two Master’s degrees, one in General Psychology and one in Clinical Psychology, which provided a strong academic foundation for her doctoral work. Her doctoral dissertation examined dissociative identity disorder in adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse, focusing on characteristics and symptom profiles. This research provided important insights into how complex trauma manifests in men through dissociative symptoms, identity challenges, and coping strategies, deepening her expertise in the treatment of severe trauma.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Ness is a published author and presenter, with contributions to peer-reviewed journals, professional conferences, and community publications on trauma, dissociation, and child protection.
Selected Publications & Professional Contributions
- Ness, L. (2004). Book review: Sexually Abused Males: The SAM Model of Theory and Practice by J. Spiegel. Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin, 20(2).
- Presenter, ISSTD 24th International Fall Conference.
- Ness, L., & Ross, C. (2010). The Dissociative Trance Disorder Interview Schedule.
- Galasso, J., & Ness, L. (2008). Understanding and Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PsychDigest, 2(8), 36–38.
- Ross, C., & Ness, L. (2010). Symptom Patterns in Dissociative Identity Disorder Patients and the General Population. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 11(4), 458–468.
- Ness, L. (2011, December). Fix My “Bad” Child. GEM Magazine, 38.
- Ness, L. (2012, Winter). To Punish or Not to Punish? That is the Question. GEM Magazine, 40.
- Ness, L. (2012, August). Take a Stand to Protect Our Children. GEM Magazine, 11.
- Ross, C., Schroder, E., & Ness, L. (2013). Dissociation and Symptoms of Culture-Bound Syndromes in North America: A Preliminary Study. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation.
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Balancing Minds Wellness 