Lara Palay, LISW-S is a psychotherapist with twenty-five years in private practice, specializing in trauma and loss. A co-founder of Aldridge Palay Consulting, Ms. Palay started her career as an hourly worker in the mental health field and went on to be a supervisor and clinical director for multiple mental health agencies. In addition to clinical practice, she has taught social work graduate students for more than a decade. Ms. Palay served as the project manager for the Mental Illness and Developmental Disabilities Coordinating Center of Excellence for the state of Ohio.