Laurel Vandiver Ben

I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist committed to helping my clients in their own self growth and discovery to make positive changes. I believe that through our journey together, you will find the necessary strength and tools within yourself to live your best life. So, call now and begin your journey. Whether working with a young child, an adult, a family, or a couple, I will guide clients through the therapy process in a way that feels self-directed. I approach every client with respect, empathy, and understanding. Through the use of motivational interviewing and reflective listening, my goal is to support my clients in their strengths as well as create opportunities for growth. I graduated from Saint Mary's College in California with a Bachelor's in Child/Adolescent Development Psychology and continued at SMC through graduate school to earn my Master's in Counseling, MFT/PCC. I have experience working as a school counselor with young children, as well as teens, and with couples and adults. Walk and Talk Therapy is a new form of counseling where the mind-body connection is strengthened. In my practice, walk and talk therapy is available to all clients as a way to increase body awareness and mindfulness while being outside in nature. So often these days, we are attached to our devices and rarely take the time to simply go outside and bask in the natural beauty of our world. If you are someone who loves to be in nature and would like to process your emotions while increasing the connection in your body, then Walk and Talk Therapy might be right for you. I am currently hiring clinical associates to work part time. If you are interested, please contact me for more information. FAQ'S How long and how frequent are sessions? Sessions are typically 50 minutes in length. The frequency depends on your current needs.  How long will I be in counseling? Counseling length is determined by both the nature of the problem as well as the goals for counseling. For some it is an ongoing journey of exploration, whereas others elect to work on a specific problem with a select number of sessions.  Am I right for counseling? Many people believe that an individual needs to have experienced some sort of traumatic event, loss, or stressor in their life to come to counseling. Although these are definitely times in which getting support is important, counseling is also available for individuals who are experiencing life's everyday up's and down's. Do you take insurance? I do not take insurance, but am able to provide you with a Superbill receipt for reimbursement. Please be aware that I am an Opted-Out provider of Medicare. This means I am not contracted with Medicare. Medicare will not reimburse you for the cost of my services. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, we will need to enter into a private contract for therapy services in order for me to treat you. Resources Bay Area Crisis Resources Alameda County 24 hr. Crisis Line (800) 309-2131 Alameda County Teen Line (310) 855-4673 Alameda County Warm Line (888) 896-3372 Contra Costa County Crisis Line (800) 833-2900 Contra Costa County Crisis Text Line Text HOPE to 20121 Santa Clara County Uplift Mobile Crisis (408) 379-9085 Santa Clara County 24 hr. Crisis Line (855) 278-4204 Santa Clara County Crisis Text Line Text BAY to 741-741 San Mateo County Crisis Line (650) 579-0350 San Mateo County Crisis Text Line Text START to 74141 National Crisis Resources National Suicide Prevention Lifeline/Textline 988 Trevor Project (LGBTQ+) 1 (866) 488-7386 Domestic Violence Hotline 1 (800)-799-SAFE (7233) National Sexual Assault Hotline 1 (800) 656-4673 Therapy Resources psychologytoday.com betterhelp.com talkspace.com inclusivetherapists.com