laura ann rowsey-collins lpc.

Owner, CEO, LPC, Lead counselor 

Availability: 

Tuesday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Wednesday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm 

Thursday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm 

Friday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm 

Saturday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm 

I live in the Appalachian Mountains in rural, far southwestern Virginia. My husband and I have a blended family with a teenager, a young adult, and 4 dogs. Several people in my family are Neurodivergent while others are Neurotypical.  I am Autistic and 2E.  I have MCAS, EDS, POTS and a couple other chronic conditions and illnesses.  I have Fatty Liver Disease and am a breast cancer survivor (Mastectomy for DCIS and Invasive Breast Cancer Stage IA,  7-2024). 

My husband and I work together in a small private practice providing online counseling services. I work with the clients, while he manages the website.  He is also working to develop a gaming streaming business.

I am a generalist, working with most all mental health needs. I have chosen to be a generalist because the people in my area have very limited access to mental health services.  They have a large range of needs, and there are few providers.  Geographical barriers, resource barriers (including access to internet), and other barriers create difficulties for many of the people in this area.  That is also why I offer appointments by phone.  I do provide sessions with a text component to the video platform for persons who communicate best through non-verbal methods.  

It is because I am a generalist that I do not provide services for people who are seeking treatment for eating disorders or for people who are seeking court mandated sexual offender treatment. I do not provide sex therapy.  All these services require specialization.  I do not work with persons who are under the age of 18.

I create customized therapy experiences for my clients.  I am a geek.  I LOVE data and learning, and incorporate much of that learning into my therapy style.  This is why most of my clients find their therapy experiences with me have a holistic frame.  I am also quite good at identifying what I DO NOT know.  When there is something about which I am uninformed, I am willing (and often very happy) to spend the time needed to learn and become competent in that area.  I am also willing and happy to refer out as needed to ensure that my clients get the best possible service.

I believe YOU are the expert in you. My purpose, as a counselor, is to work WITH you to identify your needs, to develop your goals, and to create a pathway to move from where we are now to where you want to be when your goals are achieved.  I firmly believe that honoring lived experience is essential to effective therapeutic treatment.

I value diversity and practice awareness and support of culture, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and other factors of identity. I am dedicated to continuing to seek educational opportunities to increase my awareness and activism in supporting diversity. My pronouns are she/her.  I strongly believe that one of the purposes of my life is to advocate for others, to provide service to those who may be marginalized by broader society.  I am passionate about providing a space of acceptance and about helping others find their strengths.

Why I became a counselor:
I became a counselor after my son was born with an immune system which did not work properly. He had multiple medical interventions, which caused him to have severe PTSD.  He also was coping with mental illness. We could not find the counselor who could help my son be a child instead of a mini-medical patient. Now, he is in his twenties and doing well.

But, the quest to find the counselor who could help him with his trauma and who could help us as a family, weighed on me. The need for a practical type of counselor, who understood a broad range of needs, and who was willing to meet us where we were seemed to be significant. And, there did not seem to be such a counselor in our rural area of the state.

I decided to become the type of counselor we had needed, but we could not find. I closed my business, left the sales field, and went back to school. To support myself during school, I ran an in-home daycare. In my counseling career I have worked at a community service board in a jail diversion program, in a free-clinic providing outpatient services, in Mental Health Skill Building, and in private practice. I currently own a small, private practice providing online services.

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Website Manager, COO

I am the office chief Operating Officer and website manager at Rowllins mental health and wellness

Some of my duties include hiring and managing employees. Updating and Websites and Social Media.

 Managing, creating, and making sure all paperwork is up to date. 

Making sure that Rowllins mental health and wellness follows current HIPPA guidelines 

making sure all insurance laws and manuals are up to date 

Managing the 

website www.rowllinsmhwc.com and our

 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RowllinsMentalHealth/ page.

 I'm a free-spirited person who has very firm beliefs. I worked 20 years as a truck driver and various other jobs.

I am also ADHD autistic and sometimes struggle with mild depression and PTSD

I like all types of music from heavy metal to southern gospel.

some of my hobbies include 

 1/10 scale remote control crawling

collecting Hot Wheels I currently have over 100,000.

models

puzzles 

collecting Yugi oh cards 

Inky (a pug) inky passed due to lymphoma, Patch (a blue heeler/beagle mix) and Little Bit (a chihuahua) sometimes make their presence known.  Willow, a Shepard husky mix also known as a Shepky,  Willow tends to pop up randomly for doggie hugs.We have two new additions to the family Cuddlebug also know as buggie and lil baby also known as lil b.  

The other dogs are rarely a disruption.  You may see them on screen or hear them bark at a falling leaf.

Sometimes, my clients like having them on screen and talking with them present.  If you feel this way, please let me know.  They are happy to listen while getting scratches and pets.