Dr. Laura D. Wiedeman

My Approach

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In the therapeutic relationship, I strive to be warm, collaborative, and genuine.

This means I am honest and direct while also being compassionate and understanding. I work well with clients who are willing to take risks and be vulnerable in their self-reflection and those who are open to trying new approaches to address their concerns.

My therapeutic approach has a foundation in science, emphasizing evidence-based practices to help you overcome and better manage problems while living a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Therapy is also personalized; there is no "one size fits all" approach to helping you because your circumstances, just like you, are unique.

I show you how to listen to your underlying needs, how to leverage your strengths to ease your struggles, and how to clarify what is important to you so you can and make decisions based on your values rather than fears.

I encourage you to reach out to discuss how we might be able to work together to help you achieve your goals — contact me today to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation.

My Training & Experience

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I am a licensed clinical psychologist based in the beautiful Napa Valley of California from where I provide video therapy services across California (lic. PSY26875), Oregon (lic. 3783), and Colorado (lic. PSY.0006308). I have known I wanted to be a psychologist since a young age and had the honor to earn my master's and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology (with emphasis in couples therapy) from Pepperdine University.

During my clinical training years (2006-2012), I worked in a wide range of settings including a community mental health clinic on Los Angeles's skid row, the University of Southern California (USC) student counseling center, the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, and Cedars Sinai Hospital. In 2012, I completed my doctoral internship at the Hines VA Hospital in suburban Chicago, after which I was thrilled to be hired on as a staff psychologist.

Throughout my decade of work within the Department of Veterans Affairs, I specialized in the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma recovery. I served as the PTSD-Substance Use Disorder specialist at the Hines VA Hospital and then as the PTSD Telehealth Lead for the Northern CA VA Healthcare System. In both roles, I spearheaded program development that increased access to evidence-based PTSD treatment for veterans who had historically been denied care (or struggled to access care). In 2014, I began using video therapy to reach veterans in rural settings and by the end of my VA career, I was involved in department-wide training of mental clinicians learning to incorporate video therapy into their services. In addition, I published research on effectiveness of gold-standard PTSD therapies with veterans who had co-occurring substance misuse and served as a clinician on multiple research trials demonstrating effectiveness of PTSD therapies by video and in-person. I earned multiple awards for the quality of my services and received national recognition for my research contributions.

I opened my private practice in 2019, where I specialize in providing gold-standard couples therapy and continue to offer evidence-based therapy for trauma/PTSD.

• For couples, I am a Certified Gottman Therapist. This means I have completed over 80 hours of training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and two years of individual consultation with a Master Trainer in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. My approach to couples therapy is also influenced by my doctoral research in Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. Learn more about my services for couples, including pre-marital counseling.


• For trauma survivors, I have extensive experience providing gold standard treatments for PTSD, including Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). In 2020, I was honored to earn the status of a "quality-rated" CPT provider (meaning audiotapes of my clinical work have been reviewed by experts and determined to be of the highest quality). Learn more about my services for individuals with trauma and PTSD.