Laura Haywood-Cory

(she/her)

Art Therapy Professional Counselor Associate

Hello, my name is Laura. I work as a clinical therapist at Full Spectrum Therapy. I hold a Masters in Art Therapy from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana. I am from North Carolina, which is historically land of Shakori, Catawba, Cherokee, and Tuscarora peoples, and have recently relocated to Oregon. I am a white, queer, neurodivergent woman with a chronic illness. I have lived experience with medical trauma. 

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IN THERAPY WITH ME? 

I work via a person-centered, strengths-based, anti-oppression, and trauma-informed lens. This means that I recognize that my clients are the experts of their experiences, and I work with them to identify their existing strengths and build on them. Together, we collaborate to achieve their therapeutic goals, with new strategies that feel affirming and accessible. My aim is to equip my clients with new techniques for managing the impacts of ADHD, trauma, anxiety, and/or grief in their daily lives. 

My professional background is in nonprofit work providing Art Therapy to underserved populations–primarily children with developmental differences, refugees of all ages (child through adult), adults with mental illness, and senior citizens with dementia. My training also had a focus on social justice that continues to influence my approach, and I recognize the impacts of colonialism, injustice, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and institutional trauma on mental health systems in the US. 

WHAT IS ART THERAPY?

Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the creative process of artmaking to help clients explore their emotions, work through trauma, increase self-awareness, cope with stress, and enhance cognition. In Art Therapy sessions, I encourage my clients to express their thoughts and 

feelings through drawing, painting, collage, and other forms of artmaking. The process itself is the important part; the goal is not to create a museum-worthy masterpiece. I collaborate with my clients to explore the themes and metaphors in their art. Art Therapy can be helpful for people with depression, anxiety, grief, addiction, trauma, chronic illness, dementia, and more. 

OUTSIDE OF THE SESSION 

You will find me exploring my new home, making art, reading books, and spoiling my cat. 

SUPERVISION 

As a Qualified Mental Health Professional registrant (QHMP-R), I am supervised by Angela Harman, PsyD. As a provisionally licensed Art Therapist (ATR-P), I am supervised by Bridget Pemberton-Smith, ATR-BC.