Laura Goldstein, LCMFT

Hello, I’m Laura Goldstein! I am a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist in Rockville MD and the founder of Montgomery County Counseling Center, LLC. My career path in this field started first and foremost because of my passion for family therapy! I truly believe that nothing happens in a vacuum of just one person. Sustainable change happens when the entire system shifts. Therefore, whether or not the entire family is in the therapy space, we must consider the whole family’s relationship dynamics.

Because of this perspective, I can work with individuals, couples, and families alike. I believe that clients are the experts in their own lives and so I seek to create a safe and non-judgmental space to explore this. At the same time I also believe that clients come to therapy looking for expertise. If what you were doing on your own was working you wouldn’t be here. Because of this, I also take a rather directive approach.

Any healthy relationship, whether with others or with yourself, has a good balance of empathy and accountability. My goal is for our relationship to be a role model of that very balance so that you can then go replicate that in your own life.

Vision For Montgomery County Counseling Center
I opened Montgomery County Counseling Center, LLC in 2017 to provide for therapy in Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, and the surrounding MOCO community. My mission has always been to provide the right balance of compassionate and skilled therapy. As our team continues to grow, clients and their family members are all able to get help in one place! Our collaborative team approach is rare to find in an outpatient private practice. And because of our strong value of collaboration in treatment, we will strive to be in frequent contact with outside providers too. Above all, we will ensure you get the best care possible!

Education and Experience
I first got my bachelors degree in Neuroscience from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Then I got my Masters in Family Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.

While in Philly I trained at the Council for Relationships. Since then I’ve worked across multiple settings: in-home behavioral health services, adolescent substance use intensive outpatient programs, and an agency for young adults struggling to launch. I have 10 years of experience working in therapy.

In 2015, I was trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) from Behavioral Tech. Since then, I have been weaving DBT into both individual therapy and family therapy. And in 2017 I became Level 1 Certified in The Gottman Couples Method which, combined with some DBT theories, is my primary approach to couples counseling.