Lara Norris

Although Lara has called Texas home for most of her life, Russia was where she was born and raised until she was adopted at a year old.  When asked for an interesting fact about herself, she enjoys recounting how her sister was adopted by her parents just a year before her own adoption.  Sharing the same origin of birth with her sister is something very special for Lara.

Counseling grew to become Lara’s passion after attending counseling as a child.  Although she didn’t fully understand why she was there, the experience brought her to a place of wanting to help others so she attended Texas Tech and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Human Development and Family Studies.  By spring of next year, she will have earned a Master of Science in Counseling/Clinical Mental Health Counseling through the University of Phoenix.

Lara aims to be a caring, empathetic, and active listener.  It is important that she builds trust and creates a judgment-free environment where her clients can completely express everything that is happening in their lives.  She values a collaborative approach where the client can see the changes they want as they put forth the effort alongside her as the counselor.

She has always been drawn to CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) because of the clear connections between how people think and feel and the way they behave in accordance with those things.  Many people come into therapy looking for answers, so using solution-focused therapy with clients includes self-discovery of answers and confidence of a hopeful future as they work together with her.

Lara is married to her high school sweetheart who she’s been together with for a decade.  She currently works as a preschool teaching assistant as she continues pursuing her counseling license.  In her free time, she engages the Xbox, works on her Jeep, plays with her dog, Martin, and of course, spends time with her husband and family.