Meet Laia Jorba Galdos | Therapist, Facilitator, Trainer, Supervisor, Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laia Jorba Galdos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I first considered my professional path, opening a private practice was not the first idea that came to mind. Over the years, I participated in a variety of other business ventures and even owned with my business partner a training center dedicated to community mental health, where I was deeply engaged in collective, mission-driven work and guiding/mentoring other clinicians. These experiences shaped my understanding of what it means to create impact through collaboration and service. At this stage of my life, owning my own business offers the flexibility I value for both personal and professional balance, while continue to expand and growth in a myriad of ways to offer my services to the community. It is still very important to me to actively collaborate with trusted partners in the community, as this work cannot be done alone, building relationships and initiatives that extend beyond the walls of a single practice, and provide access to quality mental health people with less resources. I also believe in mentoring next generation of value-driven therapists, which keeps me sharp and up to date with this unfolding field.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
A Bit About My Career Journey and What Sets Me Apart

My path to founding my practice wasn’t linear—it was shaped by many experiences that deepened my understanding of healing and service. Before establishing my private practice, I engaged in multiple business ventures and even ran a community mental health training center. It was in those roles that I learned the power of collaboration, the importance of community-driven care, and, most importantly, the value of flexibility that owning a business can bring.

At the heart of my work is the philosophy of **metabolizing trauma**—helping individuals move from being trapped by their trauma to transcending it, so they can reconnect to themselves and all that surrounds them. As a **body-centered and movement psychotherapist**, I integrate the wisdom of body, emotions, mind, and soul to guide clients toward resilience. I also work deeply with people whose lives are shaped by political, cultural, and intersectional identities, inviting them into embodied, somatic practice to explore and heal. My structure is supported by more than **16 years of experience as a national and international educator, trainer, mentor, and supervisor** ([jorbacounseling][1]).

What truly sets me apart is my **multilingual, multicultural, and multidisciplinary integration**. I offer services in **Catalan, Spanish, and English**, and work with deeply intersectional identities—especially related to migration, trauma legacies, sexuality, and more. I also mentor for the growth of the next generation of professionals. which lifts my spirit seeing how much love and care there is in the world.

Proud Moments & What Excites Me

* **Becoming a trusted teacher and mentor**—not just as a therapist, but someone who nurtures other professionals in their own embodied healing practice.

* **Publishing** meaningful work, such as:

* *Moving the Self in Dialogue: A Contextual and Fluid Process to Identity Exploration* (2024) ([jorbacounseling][1])
* *The Body as Cultural Home…* (2021) and *Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in Context* ([jorbacounseling][1])
* **Receiving heartfelt testimonials** from peers like Christine Caldwell and Kekuni Minton, who highlight the rare integration of cultural empathy, theoretical prowess, and embodied presence that I bring to therapy ([jorbacounseling][2]).

The Journey: Not Always Easy, But Always Alive

My journey has certainly had its challenges. Founding a practice demands navigating financial realities, balancing roles as clinician, educator, and administrator, and creating structures that honor both service and sustainability. Yet, each challenge became a teacher—I leaned on community, mentorship, and collaboration, and drew inspiration from organizations like SPAN and MESA, which showed me how healing and advocacy interweave. Mentors such as Darci Meyers, Tati Davila, and Eleni Levidi showed me how to integrate **service into every facet of life**, honoring the wholeness of clients’ paths.

What I Want the World to Know

My work is an invitation—to step into healing that honors your body, mind, emotions, culture, and spirit. I hold space for complex identities, transcultural legacies, and the courage it takes to reconnect with your wholeness. My brand is grounded in **deep integration**, **ethical embodiment**, and **radical empathy**.

In short: I guide you in transforming trauma into resilience, in weaving together all parts of your identity, and in walking your healing path with authenticity and compassionate intention.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting, I’d want them to experience both the beauty of where I live now and the heartbeat of where I’m from. We’d start in Boulder, spending mornings walking along **Fox Creek** or heading into the **Rocky Mountain backdoor** for hikes with sweeping mountain views. Evenings would be for savoring local flavors—**Blackbelly** for a farm-to-table dinner, maybe followed by a glass of wine at a cozy spot downtown. We’d wander Pearl Street, listen to street musicians, and watch the sunset turn the Flatirons gold.

But my heart is still in **Barcelona and Catalunya**, so I’d also dream us across the ocean. I’d take them to marvel at **Casa Batlló** and **Parc Güell**, where Gaudí’s colors and curves feel like walking through a dream. We’d sit under the stained-glass dome of **Palau de la Música Catalana** for a concert, and spend slow afternoons in the **Picasso Museum** tracing the evolution of his work. We’d wander the **Gothic Quarter**, slipping into centuries-old churches that hold whispers of history, and then descend into the **underground of Barcelona** to see the Roman ruins that remind you the city has lived many lives. Somewhere between tapas in a hidden bar and walking barefoot along the Mediterranean at night, I think they’d understand why both Boulder and Catalunya live in me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In reflecting on the formative years of my professional journey, I think back to the profound influence of my teachers at Naropa, especially Zoe Avstreith and Christine Caldwell, whose wisdom and presence shaped not only my clinical skills but also my understanding of embodied, compassionate practice. My work was equally molded by my time with organizations such as SPAN (Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Non-Violence) and MESA (Moving to End Sexual Assault), where I learned firsthand the resilience of survivors and the necessity of advocacy within healing. Beyond formal education and organizational work, mentors like Darci Meyers, Tati Davila, and Eleni Levidi continue to guide me, encouraging me to expand into service in ways that weave together all aspects of life—community, body, mind, and spirit—so that I can more fully support the complex and courageous healing paths of my clients.

Website: https://www.jorbacounseling.com