- gentle listening
- skills focused
- collaborative planning
About Lara
Lara Kelso is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with seven years of clinical experience. She practices in Missouri and focuses on helping people who are facing stress, anxiety, relationship problems, grief, and life transitions. She aims to make the first step into therapy feel straightforward and manageable.
She believes clients know their own stories and brings a respectful, listening style to sessions. Lara uses gentle questions and practical tools to help people notice patterns and try new approaches. She keeps language simple and avoids jargon so conversations feel direct and useful.
In sessions she often draws on Attachment-Based ideas to look at how early relationships shape later reactions. She also uses Client-Centered and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to help people build coping skills and change unhelpful thinking. These approaches are offered in a way that fits each person’s goals and pace.
Lara works with concerns ranging from parenting strain and family conflict to codependency and intimacy-related issues. She also supports people dealing with trauma, career stress, body image worries, and compassion fatigue. Her background includes work with blended family issues, adoption and foster care concerns, and family of origin patterns.
Her approach is collaborative and practical. She helps people set small goals, try different strategies, and reassess progress. To begin, clients use the platform’s Start Therapy button and complete a short matching questionnaire to schedule sessions according to availability.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns. It helps people understand why they react a certain way in close relationships and can be useful for intimacy and attachment concerns. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and meeting the person where they are. It supports people who need a calm, nonjudgmental space to talk through decisions and feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical steps to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and often helps with anxiety, mood, and stress.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lara treats the choice of method as collaborative and will help figure out what fits best. She will check in about goals, try strategies together, and adjust the focus based on progress and preference.
Confirm current session options before booking so you know what formats are offered. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They also let people continue regular work on relationship patterns, coping skills, and problem-solving from wherever they are able to connect. Licensed professionals aim to make sessions practical and relevant to daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
7+ years
Credentials
Missouri, Arizona, Oregon
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does Lara help with?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family concerns, parenting strain, trauma and abuse, codependency, intimacy issues, and related topics.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is respectful and down-to-earth. She listens first, then offers practical tools and questions that help people test new ways of coping.
What is her professional background?
She has seven years of experience working as a counselor and has supported clients through a range of life changes and relational issues.
Which credentials and location are associated with Lara?
She holds the LPC credential and provides services in Missouri.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are needed to get started?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.