Marquerite Laban, PhD

As a dynamic psychologist, my goal is to help clients uncover their true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. By applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, the client and I work to create a safe environment to help reveal behavior patterns and negative perceptions that hold individuals back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life. My areas of interest include depression, anxiety, parent – child relationships, communication enhancement, workplace/career difficulties, life transitions, stress management, women’s issues, conflict resolution, and abuse issues. In addition to providing individual, sandtray and EMDR psychotherapy, I also conduct psychological and educational evaluations for variety of concerns including ADHD, learning disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, pre-surgical consults, and emotional disturbances.

At this time, I am unable to accept new therapy clients.

My Education

I received my first Master of Arts degree from Loyola College of Maryland and my Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology from the Fielding Graduate University.  I have received additional training in counseling psychology and child/adolescent therapy from Johns Hopkins University.  I am a Licensed Psychologist in the State of Maryland and a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Maryland & Pennsylvania. I am a National Board Certified Counselor and a member of the American Psychological Association. Additionally, I am an approved supervisor for LGPC’s in training.

Specialty Services

EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a modern and innovative psychotherapy approach that has been shown to accelerate the treatment of a wide variety of difficulties and mental health concerns. EMDR has been shown to be particularly effective in treating symptoms of trauma (due to sexual/physical/emotional abuse & assault, exposure to combat, near-death experiences and natural disasters, etc.), but has also been used extensively in the treatment of non-trauma related difficulties including anxiety, depression, grief, panic, phobias, and generalized stress. While we may not understand the exact manner in which any psychotherapy works in the brain, we do know that when people become highly upset, their brains cannot process information as they do normally. That one moment can become ‘etched’ into memory, freezing every image, sound, smell and feeling in exquisite detail. Therefore remembering the trauma may feel as bad as going through it the first time. Such memories have lasting negative effects that interfere with the way traumatized people see the world today, think about their futures, and remember their pasts. EMDR seems to have a direct effect on how the brain processes information. Successful treatment helps the brain begin processing information normally. Once the information, or memory, is successfully processed, it becomes integrated into a healthier “memory system”. Therefore, the images, sounds, and feelings are no longer re-lived when the event is brought to mind. The memory itself still exists, but it becomes less upsetting.