Larissa Lau, AASW

Larissa Lau is an AASW accredited social worker with ten years' experience based in Australia. She supports people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and low self-esteem, and those coping with major life changes. Larissa also works with concerns such as panic, phobias and feelings of emptiness, and she lists life purpose among her focus areas.

She prefers to be called Lara and uses plain, practical conversation in sessions. Lara aims to work collaboratively, listening first to understand what feels most pressing. She then helps people set short‑term goals and manageable steps toward clearer day-to-day routines.

Lara uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques. She commonly draws on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to address unhelpful thinking and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to clarify values and small committed actions. She also integrates parts work and somatic approaches when exploring how stress or past hurts show up in the body.

Sessions typically involve talking through recent problems, practising skills in session, and planning small experiments to try between appointments. Lara encourages checking progress regularly and adjusting the plan when needed. Her approach is practical and focused on what helps with daily functioning.

People contact Lara when they want help reducing ongoing anxiety, repairing the impact of past trauma, or working out what matters next after a life change. She supports clients through grief, caregiver stress, multicultural concerns and relationship woundings such as abandonment and infidelity.

For people wondering where to begin, Lara asks a few questions up front to understand immediate needs and goals, then outlines a simple way forward that fits into day-to-day life.

How therapeutic methods translate to online work