Laura Girod Barnhart, MC, LMFT, received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Arizona and she continued her education by obtaining Master of Counseling in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling. She is an Arizona licensed marriage and family therapist and has been practicing in Tucson for over 20 years.
As an intern in her graduate program, she began working with children and families in their homes and in their schools. Her first paid job was as a school-based counselor where she began to collaborate with teachers and administrative staff in addition to families, group homes, child protective services and law enforcement. This incredible experience led to a position as a Family Preservation Therapist for Our Town Family Center, which contracted with several other local agencies, further expanding her role in child and family team sessions. In 2004 she chose to open a private practice and worked with children and families in an office setting. She also worked with a nonprofit organization that utilized equine-assisted psychotherapy for youth and families. She became the clinical director for the nonprofit and took on a supervisory role with the other therapists in the program. She was also selected to mentor therapists from all over the world who were working towards their own certifications in equine-assisted psychotherapy. Currently, she is the clinical coordinator for Talk it Out and maintains a small private practice. Her work continues to facilitate healthy family and community relationships.