Dr. Laura Pace received her B.A. from Texas A & M University, and her master's and doctoral degrees in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Texas. She has taught various counseling classes at UNT as an adjunct professor, worked as a lead counselor for Chrysalis Eating Disorder Treatment, an eating disorder intensive outpatient program, and worked in private practice. Laura founded Connections Counseling in 2014 and has loved working with a variety of clients. Laura enjoys seeing clients with many different presenting concerns and from varying demographic backgrounds. Most importantly, Laura is a proud wife and joyful mom to four beautiful children.

From Laura:

I believe that people are unique and creative individuals capable of making important connections and changes that influence the course of their lives. All people, of all ages, races, socioeconomic status, and life experiences have within themselves the capacity for growth, change, and healing. Counseling is a collaborative experience and opportunity for you to work on specific issues such as trauma recovery, depression and anxiety related issues, relationship difficulties, anger reduction, eating and/or body image concerns, or general self-growth/self-esteem. 

Helping people through the counseling relationship is a personal value of mine and deeply tied to who I am as an individual. I truly love what I do and feel so blessed to walk with people as they work toward becoming the best, healthiest versions of themselves.

On eating disorder recovery: Eating disorders can seem as though they have taken over your life, and recovery may seem impossible. I believe that each person struggling with disordered eating, no matter what kind of behavior (restricting, binging & purging, overeating, or a combination of many behaviors), is capable of the hard work required for recovery. I work along side my clients to help them understand their unique eating disorders and recovery path. Through various treatment options, I want to tailor every client's experience in a way that will be most effective and meaningful to each one.

On trauma recovery: In the wake of trauma, many people find themselves feeling overwhelmed, out of control, and panicky. Past traumatic events do not have to rule your life. The goal of working on trauma in counseling is not to eliminate it from your memory but rather to develop an understanding of how it affected your development, emotional processing, and sense of safety. With that understanding comes an increased ability to navigate the damaging consequences of traumatic experiences in order to feel more calm, balanced, and grounded.

Connections Counseling

2011 N. Collins Blvd., Suite 703

Richardson, TX 75080