Laurel Mikkelson, MS, MT-BC
Laurel Mikkelson, MS, MT-BC, is a Board Certified Music Therapist and Clinical Trainee at SBCC. Laurel received her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University in 2024 and is currently working toward licensure as a professional clinical counselor in Minnesota. She enjoys working with individuals and families of all ages and abilities in a gentle and collaborative way.
Laurel approaches counseling through a person-centered lens, allowing clients to take the lead as they are the experts in their own lives. She believes that all people have the capacity for growth and change, which is nurtured by establishing a safe, trusting environment and relationship between counselor and client.
In counseling sessions, Laurel works with clients to shift unhealthy thought patterns, to build healthy coping skills, to process and regulate difficult emotions and sensations, and to invite social support and positive relationships into their lives. With adolescents and adults, Laurel integrates ideas from cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and more into her therapeutic approach. With children, Laurel combines musical and sensory-based approaches with play therapy and family therapy techniques to provide the child and family with engaging, effective strategies for addressing life challenges.
For the past four years, Laurel has specialized in working with children and adolescents who experience mental, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, and over the past year Laurel has expanded to working with adults and families as well. She has experience working with a variety of mental health concerns and presentations, including, but not limited to, generalized anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. She has a special interest in working with children and their families to foster secure attachment, as well as working affirmatively with individuals who identify as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In her downtime, Laurel enjoys doing yoga, playing guitar and songwriting with her partner, snuggling her cat and corgi, and getting together with friends and family for game nights!