Laura Lanza earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Millersville University and her
Master’s Degree is Clinical Social Work at Temple University. She has 12+ years of experience
working within the mental and behavioral health field in addition to her supervisory role with
Capital Area Head Start (CAHS) as a behavioral health coordinator overseeing behavioral
support staff and providing case management in PreK Counts programs located in Harrisburg,
Paxtonia, Steelton and Middlesex schools.
Laura’s areas of expertise stem from working with children and adolescents at risk of out of
home placement as a Mental Health Professional (MHP) providing Family Based Mental Health
Services (FBMHS) across Cumberland and Perry counties and as a therapist at Pennsylvania
Psychiatric Insistute’s (PPI’s) Child & Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Psychiatric Program
where she provided crisis intervention and individual, family and group therapy.
Laura is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) through the Pennsylvania State Board of Social
Workers and is pursuing certification in trauma informed care. She treats children and
adolescents using different types of psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(CBT), Trauma Focused CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and family therapy using the
Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT) model.
Laura is well versed in working with children and teens diagnosed with Attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety disorders,
Bi-polar disorder, Conduct disorder, suicidal thoughts and Depression, Oppositional Defiant
Disorder (ODD), Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and
Substance Abuse.
Laura finds fulfillment in working with children and adolescents ages 14 through 21 affected by
all trauma types including but not limited to: bullying, community violence, early childhood
trauma, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, religious and traumatic grief. She treats
individuals with families experiencing incarceration, homelessness or substance abuse, and
those in need of social and emotional learning. Her laid back personality, cultural competence
and empathetic approach toward treatment has helped individuals of all ages learn to accept
their mental health diagnoses as a part of who they are by encouraging motivational
empowerment as a way to instill recovery and resilience.
Laura is currently taking new patients and is accepting the following insurance companies:
AETNA, Capital Blue Cross, Geisinger and HighMark.