Dr. Laura Knowles
Therapist, PhD, LPC
Owner of
The Barefoot Therapists
Meet Dr. Laura
(She/Her)
Laura is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in both Plano and Corinth, Texas. She completed her Bachelors of Business Administration at Texas A & M University before a short career in Advertising. She quickly realized her desire to help others was too great to be relegated to weekend volunteer activity. Thus, she returned to school and sought her Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology from the University of Houston – Victoria. Laura completed her Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Experimental psychology from the University of North Texas, where she gained specialized training in Couples Counseling, Developmental Psychology, Scientific Research, and Women’s Issues. Her dissertation investigated cognitive symptoms of PTSD and sexualized views of self in female survivors of sexual abuse.
Dr. Laura is currently an Associate Professor at the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. She teaches a graduate course in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to future professional mental health clinicians and school counselors. In addition to her teaching experience at University of North Texas, North Central Texas College, and Collin College, she has worked and/or trained in the various testing, counseling and student advising settings listed.
Mind for Life: Brain Center
UNT Psychology Department Degree Plan Counselor
UNT Psychology Clinic
UNT Counseling & Testing Center
Denton County Friends of the Family – Survivor’s Advocacy Team
Denton County Juvenile Detention Center
UNT Substance Abuse Resource Center - Graduate Educator
Carswell Women’s Federal Medical Prison
UNT Ally - LGBT Advocate
Dallas Metrocare Services (formerly Dallas County MHMR)
Cook Children’s Hospital – Life After Cancer Program
UH-Victoria School of Business Degree Plan Counselor
Meet Our Team
D. Amber Freeze,
MS, LCDC
Business Manager and Resident Therapist
(She/Her/Hers)
Amber recently completed the Clinical Neuropsychology program at the University of Texas at Tyler. She completed her Bachelor of Applied Art and Science in Psychology at The University of Texas at Tyler after completing a certificate of proficiency in addictions counseling while completing her Associates at Tyler Junior College.
She is a nontraditional student, having worked as a missionary for 8 years where she realized her deep passion for helping others. In 2016 she made the decision to take her love for helping others in a professional direction and began the pursuit of a higher education. She hopes to help those who deal with trauma and substance abuse through the use of positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive reframing. Her research interests include the developing, innovative psycho-biological treatments of entheogenic-assisted psychotherapy in conjunction with transpersonal psychology, and trauma processing through the separation of memories from emotions.
Amber has gained experience training as a chemical dependency counselor at Lila Lane Recovery Center and is a certified SMART recovery facilitator, and is currently training to be a Licensed Psychological Associate. She is well-versed in a blend of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI).
Anita Oommen
Graduate Practicum Intern, M.S.
(She/Her/Hers)
Anita is a non-traditional final-year Rehabilitation Counseling Master's student at the University of North Texas, Denton. She holds Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Her passion for mental health brought Anita back to school after working for almost 25 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist to pursue a degree in the mental health field.
Anita hopes to use her diverse academic background, clinical experience, and current graduate training to advance as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor to provide holistic counseling and rehabilitation services. She hopes to help those who deal with mental health disorders and other acquired disabilities, equip and empower individuals, utilize counseling techniques to break the stigma of a disability, and do the personal work required to regain their dignity, adjust, and transition back to society.
Anita has a special research interest in trauma, process addictions, and counseling. Her theoretical orientation is an integrated person-centered, humanistic-existential, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) framework.
She is passionate about making a difference in the lives of individuals by helping them identify their core strengths and inherent values and helping them recover their worth to improve the quality of their lives with evidence-based treatments. Anita plans to gain training in healing modalities such as EMDR and Emotional Freedom Techniques such as Tapping, Mindfulness, Polyvagal theory-informed body-based techniques, and breathwork.
Fun Facts: Her favorite color is coral; she has lived and worked across three continents. The mountains are her happy place. She enjoys crafting, painting, writing, and spending time with her family.
Mary Aderele
Mary is pursuing her Master's degree in the Clinical Psychology Program at the University of Texas at Tyler. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Illinois University, where she gained a solid foundation in psychology and developed a passion for helping people.
Mary's interest in psychology began after she completed her undergraduate degree and worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder for three years. During this time, she witnessed the positive impact that psychological interventions can have on people's lives and developed a strong desire to help people achieve happiness and subjective well-being.
Mary has a keen interest in working with people who struggle with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and she is well-versed in using evidence-based practices to help her clients. She is particularly interested in utilizing Acceptance Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy to help people overcome their challenges.
As a therapist, Mary considers herself calm and empathetic, which is why her therapeutic approach is person-centered. She strives to establish a strong therapeutic alliance with her clients and create a safe and supportive environment where they can share their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment. Mary is committed to treating all her clients with utmost care and respect, and she believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a happy and fulfilling life.
Ultimately, Mary's goal is to become a Licensed Clinical Psychological Associate and work with underserved populations. She is determined to use her skills and expertise to make a positive impact in people's lives and help them overcome their challenges.
Join Us
Are you looking to start your own journey by helping others?
The Barefoot Therapist is always looking for qualified, compassionate and open-minded individuals to join our team.
We are currently accepting prospective interns, LPC Associates, Masters and Doctoral level practicum students.
Let’s Chat
Contact us to schedule a free phone consultation
to find out if counseling with the The Barefoot Therapists is the right fit for you.