Laura Slagle is the founder, CEO and Clinical Director of Olive Leaf Family Therapy, Inc. She also provides clinical supervision to our talented associate therapists so that more individuals can be served in our community. Laura is a graduate of Chapman University, and lives with her family in Fresno, CA. She provides counseling and psychotherapy to children, adults, couples, and families at OLFT.

Laura is an experienced speaker and has a passion for providing staff training and parent education for school districts, foster family agencies, adoption groups, churches, and other non-profits. 

A long-time professional, Laura has over three decades of experience working with children and families as an educator,  administrator,  advocate, case manager, and mental health professional.

Laura  began her career as a Montessori teacher in Michigan and the Bay Area of California. After becoming a foster and adoptive parent, moving to Fresno, and becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA); she became interested in helping children who had experienced trauma and loss.

In 2009, Laura went back to school to get her MA in Psychology from Chapman University with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. She graduated in 2012 and opened her private practice in 2014. Laura has also completed additional training in child welfare, Emotionally-focused Therapy for couples and families, and therapeutic parenting. 

Laura has a therapy dog, Ryley, who enjoys greeting clients whenever she is at the office

One of the quotes she resonates with is, “When you focus on behavior (yours or others), you lose the connection in your relationships. But when you focus on strengthening your relationships, the behavior disappears. People often come to therapy to change a specific behavior and leave with renewed relationships with themselves and others.”