I’m so glad you’re here!

Every baby and child deserves a space where they feel safe, understood, and free to grow, and every parent deserves support along the way. That’s why I created Nurturing Nature—a warm, holistic space where babies and young children (birth to eight) and their caregivers can explore emotions, build confidence, and strengthen their bond.

With a playful, heart-centered approach, I help little ones navigate life’s ups and downs through art, movement, and connection. Whether your child is adjusting to big changes, struggling with worries, or learning how to express their feelings, I’m here to guide and support them—while making sure you feel supported, too.

Welcoming a child is a beautiful yet transformative journey. If you're preparing for birth, navigating life with a newborn, or trying to manage postpartum emotions, compassionate support can help. Through Maternal and Infant Mental Health Support, I provide a warm, nonjudgmental space to help you understand your experience, build confidence, and strengthen your bond with your baby. You don’t have to do this alone—support is here for you.

Let’s work together to support your family’s emotional well-being in a way that feels safe, empowering, and attuned to your unique experiences. My goal is to help foster resilience and deepen connection, at a pace that feels right for you. Whenever you feel ready, I’d love to connect—you're welcome to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. I look forward to meeting you or you and your little one in a space of warmth and understanding.

Hi, I’m Lara.

Education & Training

  • Naropa University — MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Transpersonal Art Therapy
    2022
    Graduate studies focused on integrating contemplative, transpersonal, and expressive arts approaches into clinical mental health counseling, with an emphasis on trauma-informed care and creative healing practices.

    Children’s Hospital Colorado — MA Internship, Ponzio Creative Art Therapy Program
    2020–2022
    Completed a year and a half long clinical internship providing art therapy services to children and families in medical and psychiatric settings, with a focus on trauma, grief, and family-centered care.

    University of Colorado Boulder — Bachelor of Fine Arts, Printmaking & Bachelor of Arts, Asian Art History
    2016
    Dual degree in studio art and art history, with a focus on visual storytelling, cross-cultural aesthetics, and the therapeutic power of artistic expression.

    • Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC) — Department of Regulatory Agencies, Colorado

      Credentialed as a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor, actively accruing hours and supervision toward becoming a fully licensed LPC.

      • Child Mental Health Fundamentals — Institute of Child Psychology
        Covered introductory concepts in child psychology, attachment-based practices, interpersonal neurobiology, child emotion regulation, and parenting strategies.

    • Registered Art Therapist (ATR) — Art Therapy Credentials Board
      Credentialed as a professional art therapist with demonstrated competence in using creative expression as a therapeutic tool to support emotional healing, self-regulation, and insight.

      • Expressive Arts Therapist (EXAT) Candidate — Trauma-Informed Practices & Expressive Arts Therapy Institute
        Training in Dr. Cathy Malchiodi’s approach, which integrates neuroscience, somatic awareness, and creative processes to support trauma healing and emotional resilience.

    • Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) — Yoga Alliance
      Trained in the foundations of yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness practices with a focus on supporting mind-body integration, nervous system regulation, and trauma-informed movement.

      • Somatic Embodiment & Regulation Strategies Certificate — with Linda Thai, LMSW
        Gained somatic tools for nervous system healing, including bottom-up self-regulation, co-regulation, interoceptive awareness, and expanding the window of tolerance. Training emphasized helping individuals bridge the gap between external safety and internal feelings of safeness through body-based resourcing practices.

      • The Voice Keeps the Score — with Linda Thai, LMSW
        Explores how reclaiming voice can support trauma recovery, emotional expression, and nervous system regulation.

    • Infant Mental Health Endorsement (IMH-E) — Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health
      Endorsed as an Infant Family Associate, recognizing specialized knowledge and culturally sensitive, relationship-based practices that support the social and emotional development of infants and young children within the context of their caregiving relationships.

      • DC:0–5 Clinical Training (in progress) promotes an approach todiagnosis that centers culture and is developmentally sensitive and relationship-based. The infant mental health training focuses on the importance of using a developmentally sensitive, relationship-based, contextually grounded, and empirically supported system of diagnostic classification with children from birth through 5 years old.

      • Nurture Neuroscience Practitioner — with Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum & Dr. Rocio Zunini
        Focuses on brain development, emotional connection, and co-regulation in early caregiving relationships using a science-backed, compassionate framework.

      • Developing Regulation Through Relationships — Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
        Focused on how regulation develops in the infant brain through early relationships. Covers the relationship between stress arousal and regulation, and how to support this development in caregiving.

    • Perinatal Mental Health Certificate (PMH-C) — Postpartum Support International (in-progress)

      • Maternal Mental Health Certificate -Completed intensive training in perinatal mental health, including the identification and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and postpartum, with a focus on parent-infant attachment and recovery-oriented support.

      • Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy (in progress) - An evidence-based curriculum covers differential diagnosis, evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches, and advanced therapeutic issues, including case studies, group discussions, and practical treatment examples.

Lara’s Journey: A Path of Healing, Connection, and Empowerment

Inspired by my experiences as a Mother, Early Childhood Educator, and Child and Family Therapist, I founded Nurturing Nature—a holistic program dedicated to supporting children and parents on their emotional and personal journeys. Parenting is full of joys, challenges, and moments of deep transformation, and I believe in the power of a compassionate space where families can explore feelings, build resilience, and deepen their connections.

I hold a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Transpersonal Art Therapy from Naropa University. As an Expressive Arts Therapist, I integrate relationship-focused, trauma-informed, and somatic wisdom with Nurture Neuroscience® to support child and parent healing. My professional journey has given me the privilege of working with families in many ways—from providing therapy to mothers recovering from traumatic births and singing to newborns in the NICU, to supporting children in rehabilitation, neuropsychiatric care, and epilepsy support groups. I also collaborate with occupational therapists and medical teams, recognizing the deep connection between mental and physical well-being.

Before becoming an Art Therapist, I worked as a Lead Teacher in a contemplative-based preschool, Snow Lion Preschool and a forest school, Wee Forest Kindergarten, where I saw firsthand the power of art and nature in helping children regulate emotions and connect with others. My passion for supporting parents grew as I helped them discover creative ways to meet their child’s needs. Prior to graduate school, I lived at a yoga retreat center, Shoshoni Yoga Retreat Center, teaching yoga and meditation to children and adults, and exploring the connection between movement, mindfulness, and art. I earned a BFA in Printmaking and a BA in Asian Art History from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where I studied how art-making and yoga intersect as healing practices.

As a mom, I intimately understand the emotional terrain of early parenthood—the self-doubt, the exhaustion, the deep love, and the longing to parent authentically. I am here to walk alongside you, helping you find your own inner wisdom and strength.

Through Nurturing Nature, I strive to offer more than just support—I provide a sanctuary. Whether helping families navigate anxiety, life transitions, or fostering self-awareness, my work is about connection—helping parents and children find healing and joy in their journeys together.

I would love to meet you and explore how I can support you and your family. Let’s take this journey together.