Lara Shemali, LMHC

Washington · 29 years in practice

Lara Shemali is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Washington with 29 years of experience.

License and registration

LMHC, Washington: LH60083808 · expires May 2026
NPI: 1740365444 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 29
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.

About Lara

Lara Shemali is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Washington with 29 years of experience. She uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside other practical approaches to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship concerns. She offers a straightforward, warm way of working so people feel heard and respected from the start.

She focuses on tools that reduce stress and ease anxiety so daily life feels more manageable. She also helps people facing trauma, abuse, and addiction find steadier footing and build recovery routines.

Background and approach

Sessions cover self-esteem, motivation, communication problems, and commitment or attachment concerns. Her practice includes work on specific issues such as abandonment, attachment issues, avoidant personality traits, and challenges around body image. She also supports people dealing with chronic pain, illness, disability, and co-occurring conditions by helping them adjust coping strategies and daily routines.

Lara integrates client-centered listening with targeted techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to build practical steps toward change. She aims to make goals clear and achievable, and she adjusts methods to match each person’s situation and pace. She recognizes that busy schedules make regular sessions hard.

Lara offers appointment flexibility including some evenings and weekends when available. The first session focuses on immediate needs and a simple plan for next steps.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Lara lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse
Self esteem
Depression
Abandonment
Attachment issues
Avoidant personality
BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
Blended family issues
Body image
Chronic pain, illness, and disability
Co-morbidity
Commitment issues
Communication problems
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
Dissociation
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Drug and alcohol addiction
Eating and food-related issues
Emptiness
Family of origin issues
Family problems
Fatherhood issues
Forgiveness
Gender dysphoria
Guilt and shame
HIV / AIDS
Impulsivity
Infidelity
Jealousy
Life purpose
Midlife crisis
Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Money and financial issues
Mood disorders
Multicultural concerns
Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
Postpartum depression
Post-traumatic stress
Pregnancy and childbirth
Prejudice and discrimination
Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-harm
Self-love
Sex addiction
Sexual dysfunction
Sexuality
Somatization
Traumatic brain injury
Women's issues
Workplace issues
Young adult issues

Approaches Lara names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and shift patterns in their emotional responses and interactions. It is useful when strong feelings or repeated relational patterns make daily life harder. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, teaches practical ways to notice difficult thoughts and still move toward chosen values and goals. It tends to help with anxiety, low mood, and getting unstuck when avoidance gets in the way.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lara will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and how they respond to different methods. Together they decide which approach or mix of techniques feels most helpful for the issues at hand and adjust as progress is made.

Online therapy with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility for busy lives. Video sessions let people read facial cues and body language during deeper conversations. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging are useful for quick coping strategies, brief updates, or when typing feels more comfortable than speaking.

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Questions people ask

What concerns does Lara commonly address?

She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, trauma and abuse, and self-esteem issues. Additional focus areas include addiction, body image, attachment and abandonment worries.

What is her therapeutic style like?

She blends Emotionally-Focused Therapy with client-centered listening and practical techniques from CBT and ACT. The work tends to be collaborative and focused on small, achievable steps.

How much clinical experience does she have?

Lara has 29 years of professional work experience as an LMHC. That experience spans stress management, trauma recovery, addiction support, and mood concerns.

Where is she licensed and located?

She holds a Washington LMHC credential and practices from Washington. Sessions are offered to people in that region and beyond when appropriate.

Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?

Sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted.

What session formats are available?

She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. This range lets people choose what fits their routine and comfort level.

How does billing and cost work?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription model. The subscription can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability. The initial step helps match needs and set a first appointment.

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