Laura Bass Counseling: Services, Insurance and How It Works

What is Laura Bass Counseling?

Laura Bass Counseling is a small, one-clinician psychotherapy practice. The site describes it as "a psychotherapy practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, working with adults on relationships, difficult transitions and the things that are hard to say out loud." Every service page names the same person, Laura Bass, and there is no team page or list of associate therapists. If you contact the practice, you are contacting her.

The work falls into two parts:

• Psychotherapy. Four services: psychotherapy, individual, couples and infidelity counseling. This is where most people start, and the part insurance can apply to.
• Complementary and spiritual work. Spiritual healing and the Emotion Code, offered alongside therapy to clients who ask for it. The site is explicit that this is optional, not medical or psychiatric treatment, not crisis care and not covered by health insurance.

The home page lists the reasons people get in touch: couple and relationship difficulties, infidelity and rebuilding trust, depression, anxiety, adjustment reactions, midlife issues, grief and loss, life transitions, shame, trauma and chronic illness. It adds that if your concern is not on the list, "it is still worth asking."

The practice has two places to meet: a main office on the south side of Charlotte and, since 2024, a part-time office at The Healing Cottage in Columbus, the Polk County seat, about five miles from Tryon. The site also says Laura is licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina, which matters for people across the state line in Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Indian Land and Landrum.

Who is Laura Bass?

Laura Bass is the practice's only named clinician. Her About page tells her story in the first person. Here is the outline, as she gives it:

• Education. A BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, then a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of South Carolina in 1985.
• Early work. A live-in cottage counselor at a residential center for children, then substance abuse services in Charlotte, then three years as a family therapist on a hospital adolescent unit. She says she received the Ann Brown Award there "for my significant contribution to mental health."
• Private practice. She began private practice in Charlotte in 1991 within a psychiatric group, where her work grew to include couples therapy. She set up an independent practice in 1998 and was a founding member of a Charlotte group practice in 2000.
• Later years. Spiritual Direction studies at the Haden Institute in 2011, joining another Charlotte practice in 2017, working remotely from 2020, and opening the part-time office at The Healing Cottage in Columbus in 2024.

She also explains how her interest in mind, body and spirit started. After developing chronic fatigue syndrome around 1998, she writes, she "began my journey into alternative and complementary health," which led to the training described in the spiritual work section below. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, and they have two grown sons.

Her own description of her style: "I am interactive rather than silent. I ask questions, offer a view when I have one, and will say when something looks worth going into. If a different kind of support would serve you better, I will say that too."

Is Laura Bass licensed? What can be checked

People usually want to know whether a therapist is properly licensed before they call. Here is what we could check on 19 October 2026:

• The practice's own statement. The site says, on several pages, that "Laura is licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina." It does not publish the license type, license numbers or licensing boards.
• Her degree. The About page lists an MSW from the University of South Carolina (1985). In North Carolina, clinical social workers are licensed by the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board, a point the practice's own article on choosing a therapist makes.
• The federal NPI Registry. The NPI Registry (run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) has an individual record for Laura A. Bass, listed as a sole proprietor under the taxonomy "Social Worker, Clinical" with a North Carolina license. That record was last updated in 2008, and its address and phone number are not the practice's current ones, so use the contact details on the practice's website.
• What we could not check. The North Carolina board's public license lookup requires a verification code, and we did not complete a South Carolina lookup, so we have not confirmed the current status of either license ourselves.
• Insurance networks. Insurers credential the clinicians in their networks. The practice lists ten insurers and Medicare (see insurance); your insurer can confirm whether she is in network for your plan.

The practice's own article on choosing a therapist gives the same advice for any clinician: check the license at the source. It notes that the NC social work board "publishes a searchable lookup of individual licences," and that the real board is at ncswboard.gov (look-alike domains exist).

The site does not publish client testimonials or review scores, so we have nothing of that kind to report.

Services, one by one

The services page says: "Laura offers psychotherapy to adults, individually and as couples. If you are not sure which of these fits, that is a good thing to work out in a first conversation rather than in advance."

Psychotherapy counseling. The site describes psychotherapy as "a regular, private conversation with someone whose job is to help you understand what is happening and what you want to do about it." Sessions are usually weekly to begin with. How long people continue "varies a great deal," and is decided together rather than set in advance. The page says therapy "cannot guarantee a particular feeling by a particular date," and that some people find a few months enough while others work for longer.

Individual counseling. Described as "a regular hour that is entirely about you." Common themes listed: anxiety, low mood that has outlasted its cause, grief (including losses others consider settled), life transitions such as career, health, family or retirement, shame, and difficulty setting limits with the people closest to you. The page says Laura works with adults eighteen and over, "from the first years of independence through retirement and beyond."

Couples counseling. The page says most couples arrive with the same complaint in different words: "we cannot talk about this without it going badly." Laura's role "is not to decide who is right." Listed reasons to come include defensive or silent communication, recurring conflict, distance, different expectations about money, family, sex or time, a major transition, and deciding whether to continue at all. The page says couples counseling "does not have a single correct destination," that Laura does not work toward a predetermined answer, and that she "will not tell you that therapy will save your relationship."

Infidelity counseling. Offered to "the person who was betrayed, the person who had it, or both together." Early sessions are usually about stabilizing things; later, if both people want to continue, the work turns to what happened and what each person wants now. Laura "will be explicit about how she handles information shared in individual sessions before any are arranged." The page names heterosexual, monogamous, LGBTQ+ and openly negotiated relationships, and says you do not need your partner's participation to start. It adds a scope note: counseling is not legal advice, and decisions about property, custody or finances need a family law attorney.

How Laura Bass works

In her own words on the home page, her approach "is best described as holistic, humanistic and integrative." She writes that she works "on all levels: mind, body, spirit and energy," and that "simply understanding why you feel or act a certain way does not always change an ingrained, unconscious pattern. That is why I offer other kinds of work as well."

In practice, the About page says, that can mean:

• Traditional counseling: opening up and saying what you actually feel.
• Learning to ground, meditate or journal.
• For clients who want it, Emotion Code and other energy work.

Three points recur across the site:

• You choose. "You, the client, choose what to include in your treatment plan." Talk therapy alone is "entirely fine," and choosing not to explore spiritual work "has no bearing on the care you receive."
• No promised outcomes. The home page says "No promised outcomes. No pressure to book."
• Faith is welcome but not required. Her home page mentions connection "with God or Creator," and the site has a faith and therapy section for people who want their beliefs to be part of the conversation. Nothing on the site says faith is a condition of working with her.

Spiritual healing and the Emotion Code

This is the part of the practice that most sets it apart from a typical therapy office, so it is worth being precise about what the site says.

What it is. Laura lists the following spiritual and energy training "alongside my clinical qualifications," and says these "are not healthcare licenses":

• Certified Emotion Code practitioner
• Spiritual Direction studies, the Haden Institute
• Ordained Minister, Alliance of Divine Love
• Three levels of Reiki attunement
• Incan Peruvian energy work
• Mentored in chakra balancing (Four Winds School / Serena School lineage)

The Emotion Code. The site explains that it is a technique developed by Dr Bradley Nelson, a chiropractor and author, and that practitioners are certified through his organization "rather than through a healthcare licensing body." A session "is quiet and conversational, and does not involve medication, physical manipulation, or anything invasive." The page also says the method's "underlying mechanism is not established by scientific evidence," and that ideas such as "trapped emotions" and "energy blockages" are beliefs of the method that "have not been demonstrated in controlled research."

What it is not. The spiritual healing page says this work "is not psychotherapy, not medical or psychiatric treatment, and not crisis care," and is "not offered as a treatment for depression, anxiety, trauma, or any diagnosed physical or mental health condition." If you are dealing with any of those, the site says, therapy or medical care is the appropriate route.

Insurance and billing. "Spiritual and energy work is not billed as psychotherapy, and it is not covered by health insurance." The site does not publish a price for it; the Emotion Code page suggests asking "what happens, how long it takes, what it costs" before booking, and says "Scepticism is a perfectly reasonable starting position and will not offend anyone."

Where are the offices, and who can be seen?

Street addresses. Neither street address is published on the site. The Columbus page says "the street address is given when you book," and the contact page lists only phone and email. Ask for the address when you arrange your first appointment.

Columbus days. Because the Columbus office is part-time, the site repeatedly says to ask which days Laura is there.

Driving. The area pages say Rock Hill is "roughly half an hour" from the Charlotte office, and that Landrum is about eight miles and Saluda about ten from Columbus. They also warn that rush hour on Providence Road and I-77 is worth planning around.

South Carolina clients. The site explains that "for therapy, what matters is the state you are physically in during the session," and says Laura is licensed in both states, so people in Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Indian Land, Landrum and nearby towns can work with her.

Video sessions. Her career timeline says she "began working remotely" in 2020, but the site does not describe a telehealth service, platform or eligible states. Its Columbus pages suggest asking "whether video sessions are an option" when you first call. If you would want online sessions, ask, and remember that the license rule above applies to where you are sitting during the session.

Hours. Office hours are not published.

How much does Laura Bass Counseling cost?

The practice does not publish fees. Its insurance page says so directly: "Laura does not publish fees on this site, so if you have a question about cost, ask her directly through the contact page." The same goes for spiritual and Emotion Code sessions, which are not covered by insurance.

What you pay depends on a few things you can find out before a first session:

• If you use insurance: your plan's deductible, copay or coinsurance for outpatient mental health, and whether the practice is in network for your specific plan. Your insurer can tell you this.
• If you are on Medicare: the site, citing Medicare.gov, says that after the Part B deductible you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. Medicare Advantage and supplement plans can differ.
• If you would pay yourself: ask for the session fee, and ask about the fee for couples sessions and for any Emotion Code or spiritual sessions, since those are separate from insured therapy.
• Couples work: the site notes that plans "differ a good deal on couples work. Some cover it under certain conditions, some do not." Ask your plan, then raise what you learn with Laura.

Payment methods, cancellation fees and a sliding scale are not mentioned on the site.

Does Laura Bass take insurance?

Yes, according to the practice. The About, contact and Columbus pages all list the same insurers the practice says it is in network with: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, United Behavioral Health, MedCost, Magellan, Carelon Behavioral Health (formerly Beacon Health Options), CBHA and Medicare.

The site's own caution is the important part: "Being in network is not the same as your particular plan covering a particular service." Blue Cross companies in particular issue many plans, and South Carolina residents often have a South Carolina Blue Cross plan, so the site says to call the number on your card and ask whether Laura Bass Counseling is in network for your plan.

Medicaid. The site says the practice's insurance list does not include NC Medicaid. For people in Polk County with Medicaid or no insurance, it points to Vaya Health, the area's public mental health manager, at 1-800-962-9003.

Questions the practice suggests asking your insurer:

1. Is Laura Bass Counseling in network for my specific plan?
2. What are my outpatient mental health benefits, and is there a separate behavioral health company that manages them?
3. What is my deductible and copay per visit, and do I need a referral or prior authorization?
4. Is couples counseling covered, and on what terms?
5. Does it matter that the office is in North Carolina if I live in South Carolina?

What happens when you get in touch

The site calls this "Starting is three steps":

1. Get in touch. Call 704-706-3264 or send a short message through the form. "A couple of sentences about what you are looking for is plenty: the detail belongs in a session, not a form." The form asks for your name, an email address or a phone number (either is enough), how you would prefer Laura to reply, and what you would like to talk about.
2. Have a conversation. "You describe what has brought you here and Laura describes how she works. It is a conversation about fit, not the first session of therapy."
3. Decide together. "If it seems like a fit, you book. If it does not, Laura will say so and point you somewhere more useful. There is no obligation either way."

The site does not say whether this first conversation is charged or how long it lasts, so ask.

The first session and the weeks after

The first session. The site says it "is mostly you talking and Laura getting oriented: what brought you, what you have already tried, what you would like to be different." You do not need to have it organized in advance. Laura will also ask about your history (relationships, family, health, work and losses), and you choose how much to say.

Paperwork. As with any health care visit: contact details, consent to treatment, and an explanation of privacy and its limits.

What to bring (from the Columbus page): your insurance card, a list of any medications, and a few notes about what you want to talk about.

Couples. Couples usually come to the first session together. The site says it is common for a therapist to meet each partner briefly alone as well, and suggests asking Laura how she structures this.

After that. Sessions are usually weekly to start. Early on you agree what you are working on; later sessions build on each other. The site says "it is reasonable to review progress every so often and to say if something is not helping," and that if you need more support than weekly counseling can offer, Laura can talk with you about other local options.

Confidentiality, privacy and the contact form

In sessions. The psychotherapy page says what you say "stays there, with the narrow exceptions that every licensed clinician in North Carolina works under: situations involving immediate risk to you or someone else, suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable adult, or a court order." Laura goes through these at the start rather than "leaving them in a document you did not read."

On the website. The privacy policy is unusually specific:

• The form collects only your name, email and/or phone, your contact preference and your message.
• It is "not a secure clinical messaging channel," so the site asks you not to include medical details, medication or anything highly sensitive.
• Messages are emailed to Laura's mailbox through an email delivery service (Mailgun), with a copy to the company that maintains the website "so that someone notices if inquiries stop arriving." (That company is eSEOspace.)
• The website keeps no copy of messages and sets no advertising cookies. You can ask for an inquiry to be deleted via info@laurabasscounseling.com.

What the practice does not offer

The site is direct about its limits. According to its pages, Laura Bass Counseling does not provide:

• Emergency or crisis care. The website and form "are not monitored for emergencies." In immediate danger, call 911; in the US, call or text 988.
• Services for anyone under 18. Laura works with adults only.
• Psychiatric medication. No prescribing.
• Inpatient or residential treatment, or detox.
• Custody evaluations or court-ordered assessments.
• Legal advice. If you are considering separation or divorce, the infidelity page says property, custody and financial decisions need a family law attorney.
• Couples counseling where there is violence or control. The Tryon page says that if there is violence, threats or controlling behavior in the relationship, couples counseling "is not the right starting point."

How it compares with other options

A rough guide to how a solo private practice like this one differs from other ways to get counseling. It describes general categories, not specific providers.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Questions to ask before you book

1. What is your fee per session, for individuals and for couples, if I pay myself?
2. Are you in network for my specific plan, and how will couples sessions be billed?
3. Which office would I attend, what is the address, and which days are you in Columbus?
4. Are video sessions an option for me, given the state I live in?
5. Is there a charge for the first conversation, and what is your cancellation policy?
6. For couples: how do you handle things one partner tells you in an individual session?
7. If I am curious about the Emotion Code: what happens in a session, how long does it take, and what does it cost?
8. Can you confirm your license type and number for North Carolina and South Carolina?

Free reading on the site

The practice publishes a large free library: sixteen topic guides (from infidelity recovery, couples communication and blended families to grief, depression and anxiety, work stress, a Tryon counseling guide and an Emotion Code guide), a Resource Center with articles in five areas, practical lists of books, podcasts, apps and support groups, and a seasonal page on getting through the holidays and winter. The site labels this as general reading: "They do not diagnose anything, they are not treatment, and they are not crisis support." Where its own lists rank therapists, it says at the top that it puts its own practice first.

How to get started

1. Read the services page to see which kind of counseling fits, or just call and ask.
2. If you plan to use insurance, call your insurer first with the questions in the insurance section.
3. Call 704-706-3264 or send a short message through the contact page. Leave out medical details.
4. Use the first conversation to check fit, fees, office, days and whether video is possible.
5. If it is a fit, book your first session and ask for the street address.

Visit Laura Bass Counseling

Terms you'll see on the site

• Psychotherapy: ongoing talk-based treatment with a licensed clinician; "counseling" and "therapy" are used for the same thing on the site.
• MSW: Master of Social Work, the graduate degree Laura Bass holds.
• Clinical social worker: a social worker licensed to provide psychotherapy; in North Carolina, licensed by the NC Social Work Certification and Licensure Board.
• In network: the clinician has a contract with your insurer; your own costs still depend on your plan.
• Emotion Code: an energy-work technique developed by Dr Bradley Nelson; a complementary practice, not a clinical treatment.
• Spiritual direction: ongoing conversation about spiritual life with a trained director; Laura studied it at the Haden Institute.
• LME/MCO: the regional organizations that manage North Carolina's public mental health services, such as Vaya Health in Polk County.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

All pages checked on 19 October 2026.

1. Laura Bass Counseling, home page: laurabasscounseling.com
2. About Laura Bass: laurabasscounseling.com/about/
3. Psychotherapy services: laurabasscounseling.com/services/
4. Service pages: Psychotherapy counseling, Individual counseling, Couples counseling, Infidelity counseling
5. Spiritual healing: laurabasscounseling.com/spiritual-healing/
6. Emotion Code: laurabasscounseling.com/emotion-code-counseling-charlotte-nc/
7. Contact: laurabasscounseling.com/contact/
8. Privacy policy: laurabasscounseling.com/privacy-policy/
9. Areas served: hub, Charlotte, Tryon, Fort Mill, Landrum
10. Tryon counseling guide: laurabasscounseling.com/tryon-counseling/
11. What to expect at the Healing Cottage: laurabasscounseling.com/tryon-counseling/what-to-expect-at-the-healing-cottage/
12. Using insurance for therapy in Polk County: laurabasscounseling.com/tryon-counseling/insurance-for-therapy-in-polk-county/
13. Finding support in the Charlotte area: laurabasscounseling.com/resources/local-resources/finding-support-in-the-charlotte-area/
14. How to tell whether a therapist is a good fit: laurabasscounseling.com/resources/specialty-education/how-to-tell-whether-a-therapist-is-a-good-fit/
15. Resource Center, library and guides: Resource Center, Library, Guides and lists, Holiday and winter support
16. NPI Registry record 1275587925 (Laura A. Bass), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov
17. North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board: ncswboard.gov