Presence • Compassion • Clarity • Grounding • Ease
• Presence • Compassion
• Clarity • Grounding • Ease
About Laurie Thorner
The threads that weave together my life and my work.
Three Decades of Integrative Practice
IMAGO and the Work of Relationship
Mindfulness, Yoga, and Spiritual Grounding
Grief and the Human Experience
Walking Alongside You
About Laurie Thorner
The threads that weave together my life and my work.
Three Decades of Integrative Practice
IMAGO and the Work of Relationship
Mindfulness, Yoga, and Spiritual Grounding
Grief and the Human Experience
Walking Alongside You
Laurie Thorner, MSW, LCSW-C
Mindfulness, Yoga, and Spiritual Grounding
Mindfulness meditation has been part of my life for over four decades, beginning with yoga practice in childhood. I completed my yoga teacher training (RYT-200) at the Yoga Center of Columbia in 2017, with Kathy Donnelly, RYT-500, and continued my studies in Life Force Yoga and Energy Medicine Yoga.
In 2023, I completed a two-year global Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with Tara Brach, PhD, and Jack Kornfield, PhD. These teachings continue to inform my work, deepening my attention to the mind–body connection and the role of awareness in healing.
Spirituality is central to both my life and my work. I honor each person’s unique belief system and integrate spiritual values into therapy when meaningful. I also hold deep respect for the Twelve-Step Philosophy and support this framework of recovery when appropriate.
When spiritual life is honored and strengthened, healing often unfolds in ways that are deeply felt and not always easily put into words.
Grief and the Human Experience
Bereavement and grief counseling hold a special place in my work. Experiencing the death of a parent early in life led me to seek a deeper understanding of loss, transition, and meaning.
My training includes study with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, MD, whose work continues to influence the field of grief and end-of-life care.
I currently provide bereavement counseling and facilitate support groups through Stella Maris Counseling Center in Timonium, Maryland.
“A sorrow shared is but half a trouble; a joy shared is a joy made double.” — Swedish Proverb
Walking Alongside You
My life and my work are deeply intertwined—both guided by a commitment to steadiness, compassion, and meaningful, evidence-informed care.
Whether you are navigating relationship conflict, emotional distress, illness, grief, spiritual searching, or a longing for deeper connection, you do not have to do so alone.
I am here to walk alongside you.
Together, we move toward greater integration, resilience, and a return to wholeness.
Mindfulness, Yoga, and Spiritual Grounding
Mindfulness meditation has been part of my life for over four decades, beginning with yoga practice in childhood. I completed my yoga teacher training (RYT-200) at the Yoga Center of Columbia in 2017, with Kathy Donnelly, RYT-500, and continued my studies in Life Force Yoga and Energy Medicine Yoga.
In 2023, I completed a two-year global Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with Tara Brach, PhD, and Jack Kornfield, PhD. These teachings continue to inform my work, deepening my attention to the mind–body connection and the role of awareness in healing.
Spirituality is central to both my life and my work. I honor each person’s unique belief system and integrate spiritual values into therapy when meaningful. I also hold deep respect for the Twelve-Step Philosophy and support this framework of recovery when appropriate.
When spiritual life is honored and strengthened, healing often unfolds in ways that are deeply felt and not always easily put into words.
Grief and the Human Experience
Bereavement and grief counseling hold a special place in my work. Experiencing the death of a parent early in life led me to seek a deeper understanding of loss, transition, and meaning.
My training includes study with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, MD, whose work continues to influence the field of grief and end-of-life care.
I currently provide bereavement counseling and facilitate support groups through Stella Maris Counseling Center in Timonium, Maryland.
“A sorrow shared is but half a trouble; a joy shared is a joy made double.” — Swedish Proverb
Walking Alongside You
My life and my work are deeply intertwined—both guided by a commitment to steadiness, compassion, and meaningful, evidence-informed care.
Whether you are navigating relationship conflict, emotional distress, illness, grief, spiritual searching, or a longing for deeper connection, you do not have to do so alone.
I am here to walk alongside you.
Together, we move toward greater integration, resilience, and a return to wholeness.
About Laurie
The threads that weave together my life and my work.
Three Decades of Integrative Practice
IMAGO and the Work of Relationship
Mindfulness, Yoga, and Spiritual Grounding
Grief and the Human Experience
Walking Alongside You
Three Decades of Integrative Practice
For more than three decades, I have continued to grow as a psychotherapist working with couples, individuals, and families; an IMAGO Relationship Therapist; an oncology and psychiatric social worker; a mindfulness meditation teacher; and a yoga instructor. Each of these roles reflects my integrative approach to healing—attending to the mind, body, heart, and spirit.
I teach mindfulness meditation and facilitate cancer support groups at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center, where I also serve through the Oncology Patient Advisory Council and support the Cancer Resource Center. Walking alongside patients, caregivers, and families during a cancer diagnosis has deepened my respect for the resilience required in the face of medical crisis. I have also led METTA meditation retreats at Patapsco Valley State Park.
Nature remains a quiet teacher in my life. Walking the lakes in Columbia, Maryland—where I have lived for over thirty years—reminds me that healing unfolds in seasons and in community.
I feel a deep connection to the vision of Columbia’s founder, James Rouse, who wrote: “It should be our purpose to grow inspired, concerned, loving people… An inspired, concerned, and loving society will dignify all people.”
Mindfulness, Yoga, and Spiritual Grounding
Mindfulness meditation has been part of my life for over four decades, beginning with yoga practice in childhood. I completed my yoga teacher training (RYT-200) at the Yoga Center of Columbia in 2017, with Kathy Donnelly, RYT-500, and continued my studies in Life Force Yoga and Energy Medicine Yoga.
In 2023, I completed a two-year global Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with Tara Brach, PhD, and Jack Kornfield, PhD. These teachings continue to inform my work, deepening my attention to the mind–body connection and the role of awareness in healing.
Spirituality is central to both my life and my work. I honor each person’s unique belief system and integrate spiritual values into therapy when meaningful. I also hold deep respect for the Twelve-Step Philosophy and support this framework of recovery when appropriate.
When spiritual life is honored and strengthened, healing often unfolds in ways that are deeply felt and not always easily put into words.
Grief and the Human Experience
Bereavement and grief counseling hold a special place in my work. Experiencing the death of a parent early in life led me to seek a deeper understanding of loss, transition, and meaning.
My training includes study with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, MD, whose work continues to influence the field of grief and end-of-life care.
I currently provide bereavement counseling and facilitate support groups through Stella Maris Counseling Center in Timonium, Maryland.
“A sorrow shared is but half a trouble; a joy shared is a joy made double.” — Swedish Proverb
Walking Alongside You
My life and my work are deeply intertwined—both guided by a commitment to steadiness, compassion, and meaningful, evidence-informed care.
Whether you are navigating relationship conflict, emotional distress, illness, grief, spiritual searching, or a longing for deeper connection, you do not have to do so alone.
I am here to walk alongside you.
Together, we move toward greater integration, resilience, and a return to wholeness.
IMAGO and the Work of Relationship
IMAGO Relationship Therapy is central to my work with couples and families. My early mentorship in Relationship Enhancement Therapy led me to IMAGO, where I found a model that deeply resonated with my understanding of human connection.
My training includes study with Harville Hendrix, PhD, as well as intensive work in the Getting the Love You Want model with Maya Kollman, PhD.
IMAGO offers a compassionate framework for understanding how early relational experiences shape adult partnerships. What often appears as conflict between partners is often rooted in unmet needs, unfinished business, and disowned parts of the self originating in childhood.
Through a structured and respectful dialogue process, couples learn to communicate in a way that feels safe and intentional. As reactive patterns soften, partners begin to experience one another with greater curiosity and empathy—becoming compassionate visitors in each other’s inner world. From that place, new possibilities emerge, change more readily happens, and connection can be restored
If what you’ve read here resonates, I invite you to reach out.
We can begin with a brief conversation to see if this feels like the right fit for you.
410-227-3812 Columbia, Maryland (in-person sessions available)
You are welcome to email with any questions