Dr. Laura Spiller
Areas of Expertise
Dual-career professional couples
Relationships dealing with health issues
Affair recovery
Discernment counseling
Blended and step-families
Business partners
Relationships affected by anxiety or ADHD
Laura’s Approach
My passion is helping partners reconnect and develop a strong foundation from which they can take on any challenge. Having experienced highs and lows in my own marriage, I understand the pain of reaching out to your partner and not finding them, as well as the strength and peace of feeling safe and loved. It’s painful to feel alone, marginalized, hurt, disbelieved, or punished for using your voice. As humans, we’re meant to rely on one another. We all need to love and be loved, to experience freedom in our true selves, and to feel empowered by living authentically.
I specialize in using scientific, innovative relationship therapy approaches that provide proven tools to help partners stop hurting each other and become a team again. I help you understand your feelings—they exist for a reason—and learn what you need when you’re experiencing them. When you can listen to what’s inside you without fear, you feel more alive, and your relationships become safer, more compassionate, and more authentic.
Fun Facts
Mom to 4 adult children (including 2 step-children) and a 50 lb standard Poodle
Ovarian cancer survivor
Food enthusiast who enjoys cooking and Houston’s amazing restaurants
Moved to dance whenever I hear music (I credit this to my Colombian heritage.)
ABOUT Laura
On July 12, 2010 I was listening to a gastroenterologist tell us that my 42-year-old husband (and father of my 2 sons, then ages 3 and 8) probably has advanced stomach cancer. That started our almost 5-year battle with what turned out to be a rare abdominal cancer, peritoneal mesothelioma. You may not face a cancer diagnosis, but all couples will face challenges when they need to be able to count on each other. When the cancer bomb was dropped on us, we were in the stage of marriage when most couples struggle, with two demanding careers and 2 young, busy children.
When there is so much to do and so little time, it’s easy to avoid the difficult conservations and build up resentments. I am grateful that my husband and I were able to find each other again as we coped with his illness. We grieved that we had allowed distance to grow in our relationship, resulting in the time we now knew to be limited to be spent feeling alone rather than connected. We had the opportunity to turn toward one another and rely on one another for comfort and support. He made me feel valued and important to him, an essential partner in his life and treatment.
As painful as it was watch someone I loved die slowly, it was important to me to bear witness to his struggle and be the best companion possible. This experience has inspired my commitment to helping couples make the most of their precious time together. I am especially inspired by helping couples make their relationships into a safe haven from which they can navigate any storm.
Throughout my career, I have studied how to make families more resilient in the face of stressors such as health problems. My doctoral training in clinical psychology at the University of Houston included a specialization in pediatric and general health psychology. For over 10 years, I was a professor of psychology who trained clinical psychology graduate students and conducted research on relationships. I moved back to Houston in 2015 and returned to full time private practice.
I am a member of the Houston Community for Emotionally Focused Therapy (HCEFT) as well as the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
EDUCATION
BA in Psychology from University of Texas, Austin
PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of Houston
Advanced TRAINING
Psychology Internship, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
ICEEFT-certified Emotionally Focused Therapist and Supervisor Candidate
Advanced training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
LICENSURE
Licensed Psychologist, #31563
Rates
Couples session (75 minutes): $350
Individual session (50 minutes): $275
OFFICE HOURS
By appointment
Wednesday-Friday
8:30 am - 6 pm (latest session at 4:30)