About Me

My name is Anita Lopez, and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Louisiana.

I have been working in the field of mental health and counseling since 1997. With an Associate’s degree in Psychology in hand, I began working with complex populations, such as adjudicated youth, adults with severe developmental disabilities, and individuals with pervasive addictive disorders. As a first generation, low income, and learning disabled student, I nervously took small but strong steps in my education and career. While transitioning through college and completing my Bachelor’s degree, I began to discover the importance of career exploration and mentorship and value of education. I came to realize that an education would allow me to gain financial , emotional, and intellectual independence, and I felt driven to help others realize the same dream of higher learning.

I began my work in Higher Education while completing my Master’s degrees in Counseling at West Virginia University. Working with college freshman and at risk students, I fell in love with bringing skills and support to those who were focused on making better lives for themselves.

I completed my Masters in Counseling in 2002, and immediately went to work for a private international university. This was the perfect position to allow me to utilize my mental health and counseling skills, as well as experience and interest in higher education. It also allowed me to experience working with a culturally diverse population and allowed me to begin delving in to trauma work, addressing issues on campus and across the state related to sexual assault and abuse. I also began intense focus on low income, disabled, and first generation student population needs, which led me to then work in Trio programs, Upward Bound, and Student Support Services.

It was work with this particular student population which led me to LSU and Baton Rouge in 2005.  

By 2008 I had found myself quite far from my original mental health mission, and decided to take a sharp turn back to the front lines of mental health. I enjoyed working in emergency mental health at Our Lady of the lake for the next 5 years. Here, I was able to hone my skills in crisis intervention, diagnostics, severe and chronic mental health issues, and see the medical side of mental health. From the Emergency Department to Intensive Outpatient services, seven years of hospital affiliation led me to my dream of providing grief counseling and education to both individuals and groups.

Now, I get to take my dream a step further by designing my own practice with you in mind. I can’t wait to utilize my lifetime of skills in the making - from career and major exploration and college success, to relationship and parenting issues, general stress, and life transitions - to help with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses - and grief and trauma.

I very much look forward to working with you, and to making your therapy experience a top notch, integrative, and comprehensive venture!