Kelsey Laulainen

Kelsey Laulainen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (WA) and Licensed Professional Counselor (AZ) who specializes exclusively in religious trauma, spiritual abuse recovery, and faith deconstruction. She works only with women and gender non-conforming/non-binary adults, and brings a rare combination of lived experience and deep clinical expertise to this profoundly personal work.

Kelsey grew up in an LDS community in Phoenix before spending three years in pastoral ministry at a conservative Lutheran church near Sacramento. Her own journey through spiritual deconstruction led her to pursue a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, where she developed a rigorous framework for understanding high-control religion, spiritual abuse, and the complex trauma it creates.

She draws on Relational Psychodynamic Therapy, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), DBT, and attachment theory to support clients through the layered process of leaving harmful religious systems and rebuilding a sense of identity, safety, and meaning. Kelsey holds a Religious Trauma Therapy certification through the Religious Trauma Institute and is a fully affirming provider for LGBTQIA+ clients.

Kelsey offers virtual therapy for clients in Arizona and Washington. She uses an Equitable Payment Structure that allows clients to choose a rate that reflects their financial circumstances, ensuring the quality of care remains the same regardless of what clients pay.