From the first day Laura Gatien opened the doors to provide mental health therapy, she had a big vision. She was determined to not only increase access to mental health treatment, but more importantly change the culture around mental health - by reducing stigma and removing barriers to mental health therapy. Afterall, Mental Health is health.
As a practicing social worker for 13 years, Laura started out working within the public hospital system. By 2018, she believed a more proactive approach to mental health was needed so she left her government job to pave a new path to treatment, opening Laura Gatien Counselling Services, which has since become Laura Gatien & Associates, a diverse mental health therapy practice. Within six years, the practice has grown to two locations in Saint John & Fredericton, with a team of 28 clinicians.
In 2019 Laura and a counselling intern launched Saint John’s first free drop-in counselling program as part of LGA, which was formalized into a charitable non-profit, a separate entity now, known as Just Us; We all Struggle in 2022. Just Us exists to make mental health care accessible to all offering free and low-cost counselling sessions through supervised counselling interns all across the province and now operates as a separate entity. Laura now serves as the board chair for this organization which she founded.
Laura reaches out regularly through social media and her blog to share openly and honestly on various topics surrounding mental and sexual health. She is incredibly passionate about transforming how we view mental health and solving meaningful problems with creative solutions.
Laura earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University in 2010 and completed her Bachelor of Social Work at St. Thomas University in 2012. She completed a Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Waterloo, with a focus on the social determinants of health in 2017.
Laura is a member in good standing with the NB Association of Social Workers. She thoroughly enjoys continuing her professional education as a way to grow and learn about emerging issues. Laura is a certified sex therapist with the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counsellors and Therapists (AASECT). Laura is also passionate about entrepreneurship and has been recognized as the Lady to Watch in 2020 by the Ladies of Influence SJ. She was a finalist for the Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Achievement award in 2022 and was most recently nominated for Atlantic Business Magazine’s 25 most powerful women in Atlantic Canada.
Laura has been a frequent contributor to several media outlets who turn to her to help them educate and raise awareness around mental health issues - The Maritime Edit magazine, CBC radio, the Telegraph Journal, several podcasts and more.
Laura lives in Hampton with her 3 children, ages 12, 10 and 7.