about laura zmud.
Laura is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) with a Master of Social Work, offering counselling and professional consulting services. Her work includes individual counselling for children, teens, and adults, and organizational consulting across a range of professional sectors.
Being raised, and continuing to live, in rural Saskatchewan has shaped how Laura approaches her work. She understands strengths that come with rural living, while also recognizing the unique challenges of smaller communities. She values approaches that are practical, accessible, relationship-centred, and responsive to the communities in which people live and work.
Throughout her career, Laura has worked across individual, family, community, organizational, and national levels, including clinical practice, program development, policy analysis, and continuing education. Her experience and interests include healthcare, family systems, and increasing wellbeing within the veterinary, animal welfare, and agricultural industries.
At the heart of her work is a simple belief: people do better when they feel understood, connected, and supported. When people do better, communities and organizations around them do too.
ADHD
Animal Care, Ownership & Loss
Anxiety
Attachment & Connection
Communication & Conflict
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Regulation
Farm Stress
Grief, Loss & End of Life
Life Transitions
Work-Related Stress & Burnout
Areas of interest
EDUCATION
Master of Social Work, University of Waterloo
Bachelor of Social Work, University of Regina
CERTIFICATIONS
ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider
Certified Specialist in Anger Management
SPECIALIZED TRAINING
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Certification Training, PESI
Facilitator, DoMoreAg Foundation
Critical Incident Group Debriefing, Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute
Dare to Lead Brené Brown Leadership Training, Kimberly Knull
Understanding Dementia Program, University of Tasmania
Facilitation Skills Training, Canadian Mental Health Association
Fear Free Program, Fear Free Pets
PUBLICATIONS
Barrett, M. J., Avantika Mathur, L. Zmud, Carolyn Hoessler, Sydney Kuppenbender, Zahra Ghoreishi, and Viktoria Hinz. "No longer under the radar: animal communicators and a shifting paradigm for interspecies engagements." Society and Animals.