About Lura
Lura Smedstad is a licensed professional counselor who helps people manage anxiety, stress, grief, and life transitions. She works with adults who want clearer goals, healthier relationships, and relief from depression or trauma symptoms. Sessions blend practical skills and a calm, grounded presence to make change feel possible.
Lura uses a mix of talk therapy, body-focused work, and mindfulness. She pays attention to how emotions show up in the body and helps clients notice and respond differently.
Background and approach
She also teaches simple tools people can use between sessions to feel steadier and more in control. Her background includes a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Art Therapy from Prescott College. She also completed a BA in Fine Arts and has a history of spiritual work alongside counseling.
Those experiences shape a style that is creative and down-to-earth rather than purely academic. Lura has practiced for around 20 years in a variety of settings, including psychiatric hospital work, community clinics, and ministry-related programs. She has experience supporting people through grief, caregiver stress, postpartum challenges, and first responder issues.
Her work often connects practical problem-solving with attention to meaning and purpose. Clients can expect straightforward communication and a compassionate tone. Lura encourages people to find their internal sense of guidance, and then builds plans that fit real life.
She sees therapy as a collaborative process focused on steady, usable change.
Using somatic and cognitive tools in online therapy
Online sessions can combine body-focused somatic work and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to address stress, anxiety, trauma, and mood changes. Somatic Therapy helps people notice bodily sensations tied to emotions and learn simple ways to regulate nervous system responses. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and practicing small behavioral changes to reduce distress.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. The therapist will work collaboratively to decide which methods fit a person's goals and comfort level. That might mean starting with grounding and breath work, then adding skill practice or emotion-focused exploration as trust grows.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to attend sessions from home, balance therapy with work or caregiving, and use shorter check-ins when helpful. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and homework to work well in these formats, offering flexibility while keeping the focus on steady progress and everyday coping skills.
Frequently asked questions
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How are online sessions conducted and what formats are available?
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also works with
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family of origin issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Self esteem
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Minnesota
- Languages
- English