Laura Venuto

I am a New York and New Jersey Licensed Psychologist with twenty years of experience providing psychological services for children, adolescents and adults. I provide both short and long term therapy for adults in my private practice, which is completely virtual. I support people experiencing life transitions, loss, anxiety, depression and OCD. One of my areas of specialty is maternal mental health. I am a Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C) provider and have pursued postgraduate training in Fertility and Reproduction. I provide short and long term therapy for new moms as well as offer preventative consultation services to expectant parents in order to set them up for success as they grow their family. My unique training in a combined Clinical and School Psychology doctoral program qualifies me to work with individuals across the lifespan.

My interest in psychology blossomed during my adolescence as I wanted to pursue a profession in which I could connect with and help people. As I pursued my training in psychology, I realized that as a psychologist, I would be in a unique position to empower individuals by providing people with tools to improve their lives. I love working with individuals to help them make subtle changes to their communication style, perspective or approach to drastically and positively impact the outcome, be it improvements to one’s mood or a more satisfying relationship with a loved one.

After earning my Bachelor’s in Psychology, I enrolled in the Counseling Master’s program at NYU. My first job after graduation was at a homeless shelter for women and children. My role was to counsel the women, which I enjoyed greatly, but I also found myself drawn to their children. I later obtained a position at a different non-profit organization as a Family Counselor. While I liked the opportunity to collaborate with the whole family, I realized that I desired more education and training to better serve the people whom I was attempting to help. I continued with my educational pursuits and earned my doctorate in School/Clinical Psychology at Pace University.

Prior to starting my practice, I worked as a psychologist in a school setting, providing crisis counseling and consultative services for teachers and parents, running groups for students struggling with anxiety and depression, as well as conducting psychoeducational evaluations for students. I am passionate about making mental health services available for children in schools; optimizing students’ emotional well-being helps them to flourish in other aspects of their lives. In addition to my position as psychologist in the schools, I have also worked in hospital (both in and outpatient) and clinic settings with children, adolescents and adults. In these settings, I treated mood and anxiety disorders, psychosis, addiction, trauma, as well as provided crisis counseling, developmental assessments for infants and young children, and worked extensively with adult and child survivors of physical and sexual abuse.

As a mother, wife, member of a large extended family, and psychologist, I believe that we are shaped by our relationships and communication with the people in our lives. I am well aware of both the gifts and challenges that come with these intimate relationships and important roles. I also believe that our past relationships and patterns can impact our present behavior. My approach is thus interpersonal and psychodynamic in nature. I believe in the healing power of humor, and that people’s distress can be reduced when they understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

In addition to my private practice, I co-own Roads Wellness LLC, a wellness educational consulting business that provides workshops other educational supports for individuals and corporations. At Roads, our mission is to enable both organizations and individuals to cultivate emotionally supportive environments. We empower organizations to prioritize the well-being and success of their members, fostering cultures of support that enable thriving. Simultaneously, we empower individuals by providing essential support, valuable skills, and engaging education. Through interactive learning experiences, we spark personal growth, nurture compassion, and facilitate progress. We believe that by meeting the needs of both organizations and individuals, we create an ecosystem where collective flourishing and personal advancement coexist.