Lara Kingstone
MSc, MSW, LSW | Therapist
she / her
Therapy changed my inner world, and my life. That's not something I say lightly. It's why I believe so deeply in what this work can do.
I spent my twenties in the human rights field before I realized the work that mattered most to me wasn't policy or programming. It was direct care. Sitting with people. That realization is what brought me here.
By building compassion, nuance, self understanding and emotional literacy within, we create ripple effects on the world around us. I love watching people untangle their patterns and histories, and build more love and trust for themselves.
My work is client-led, fully. You have agency and options in your care, not instruction, not prescription. So much of healthcare is disempowering by design. Ours is a partnership of collaboration and collective untangling. I believe our path to internal freedom runs through honoring our inner child, accepting ourselves, and listening to our bodies and our inner truths. The systemic realities we're up against are real and they don't get to be denied, but that only makes it more urgent to liberate the inside of our own minds.
I was drawn to Open Space because belonging is essential to a full life, and that's what this practice provides: care that makes people feel seen and accepted, an exhale in a world that can isolate. I care deeply about liberation and self compassion, and it matters to me to hold space for people in the LGBTQIA+ community and other communities facing barriers to care like this. Open Space's holistic focus, the mind-body connection, and its fierce commitment to equity and an anti-oppressive lens, that's why I'm here.
I know how vulnerable it is to show up and share your inner world with someone you've never met, and I don't take that lightly. I'll meet your vulnerability with appreciation, tenderness, and respect. I'm here to accompany you as you uncover the knowledge of yourself you already hold, at a pace that's yours: doing the work, celebrating wins, laughing, grieving, and processing, together.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
English
THERAPY APPROACHES
Acceptance & Commitment (ACT)
Culturally Sensitive
Art Therapy
Mindfulness-Based
Compassion Focused
IN THE THERAPY ROOM
Humorous
Holistic
Exploratory
Trauma-Informed
Radically Accepting
YOU CAN FIND ME
Collaging and making mixed-media art, cooking and eating, slowing down, travel, learning about the world!
IโM ALL ABOUT
Bravery, communication, campfires, biking through dappled sunlight, dancing, the pursuit of a fulfilled life!
Clinician Details
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Aetna
Anthem
BCBS PPO Plans
Capital Blue Cross
Geisinger
Highmark
Independence Blue Cross (IBX) PPO Plans
Insurance credentialing for the below panels is in progress:
Optum / United Healthcare
UPMC
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$115 (53-minute session)
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Telehealth
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Individual Therapy
Relationship Therapy
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Preteens / Tweens (11-13)
Adolescents / Teens (14-18)
Adults (18+)
Specialties
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Sex and sexuality can be at the crux of so many things: body image, trauma, relationships, authenticity, and more. It can be a space for self knowledge and acceptance, vitality, play and joy. But it can also be a realm wrought with anxiety, triggers, maladaptive coping, and self-abandonment.
By untangling sexual challenges, we can address root issues, through trauma-informed CBT, narrative, and mindfulness-based therapy.
Whether you want to work on self consciousness, pleasure activism, the dismantling of shame, relationship challenges, or healing from past trauma, this space is for you.
I talk about sex in a frank, open-minded way that deconstructs shame. I hold space with compassion, patience, and humor, to provide a corrective experience for anyone who's experienced sexuality as a place of judgment or taboo. I respect that this can be a challenging and uncomfortable subject, and I prioritize you feeling comfortable and professionally cared for throughout.
Much of my career has focused on working with survivors of sexual violence and navigating how to return to the body after trauma, so this is far from new territory for me. I would be honored to do this work with you.
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Anxiety and panic can make you feel like you're not running the show in your own brain. Our brains work hard to misguidedly protect us from danger, but that same wiring can impact your daily functioning, happiness, and relationships.
I know how painful anxiety can be. I also know it doesn't have to prevent you from leading a courageous, fulfilling life. I provide warm, compassionate care, with a true passion for helping people regain their power.
I approach this issue from multiple lenses. We work on separating from the thoughts, becoming the witness rather than identifying with them. We engage critically with our thoughts through ACT and CBT. But thinking isn't always the way out, because anxiety and panic often happen primarily in the body. That's where interoception, mindfulness, and DBT come in, helping us address the physical symptoms and break the spiral.
Through somatic awareness, we will build a practical toolkit of skills and resources to notice, process, and respond to triggers, so you can live with more freedom and ease, where the inside of your mind can feel like a safer place.
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Throughout our lives, the deepest relationship we have is with ourselves. Becoming a friend and true supporter to yourself is both sacred and essential work.
So many forces impact self worth: societal messaging, trauma, harmful childhood dynamics. Creating a kinder inner relationship isn't easy, but it's absolutely possible, and it's a rewarding, meaningful experience.
We do this by uncovering the origins of your negative self-talk, identifying and challenging the core beliefs you hold about yourself, and building out challenges and goals that lead to deeper confidence. CBT, compassion-focused therapy, and ACT will be some of our tools, but we'll also look for the ways self-betrayal sneaks into your life, investigating values and disconnects, and working on people pleasing, unhealthy dynamics, and the negation of your own needs.
You are valid and worthy of kindness, and a real respite from the challenging external world, without needing to earn it. You deserve it by virtue of being human.
Self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, and self-appreciation are primary ways to ease our pain, loneliness, and suffering, and I am passionate about accompanying you there.
