Exploring Life & Business with Laura Vargas of Vargas Counseling and Consulting, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Vargas.

Hi Laura, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my journey into the grief world when I began my masters in social work program at the University of Pennsylvania (U Penn). I chose the school not only for its prestige, but also because it was located in Philadelphia. I knew that Philadelphia was the perfect place to study social work as it is an incredible city for so many reasons, but also a city that struggles deeply with many social problems, including high poverty rates, high rates of homelessness, significant challenges with the overdose crisis, and more.

My first job out of grad school was at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. While the average person probably doesn’t imagine a job at the city morgue as the “dream job,” it was definitely my dream job. I was the first Bereavement Care Coordinator focused exclusively on providing grief support to individuals and families who lost a loved one to substance-related causes. I fell in love with the work. It was, of course, dark and heavy to witness so much pain and suffering, but it was also a tremendous privilege to be able to walk alongside individuals in their grief journeys; to see resilience in its realest, most human form. I was amazed by the depth of people’s love and how that shaped and drove their grief. I initially started a grief counseling program and a peer grief support group and those two took off immediately. As a Native Spanish Speaker, I was offering services not only in English, but also in Spanish, which felt like a given to me, but also really made the program stand out as there is a shortage of Spanish-speaking Grief Counselors and Therapists.

By the end of my first year, I had connected with over 1,000 individuals and was starting to field calls from public health and mental health workers all over the country asking about the program. I realized that I had started a robust program that was unlike anything else. I was able to make the case to receive additional funding and was able to hire someone and continue to grow the program. At that point, we decided to give it a name: Philly HEALs (Healing and Empowerment After Loss). We continued to add more services and to hire and expand. The program started before the Covid-19 pandemic and adapted to all of life’s changes throughout the pandemic. As we started to come out of lockdowns, we continued to add more community building services. I was so inspired by the ways in which the community rallied around us and how much support and encouragement we received.

My favorite thing about the program is that not only did it provide comprehensive and accessible grief support, but it also contributed to the larger mission of preventing deaths in the first place, as we were part of the Department of Public Health and were very involved in making policy, service, and program recommendations based on what we were learning from the bereaved survivors of the overdose crisis. As much as I loved the work that I was doing and was incredibly fulfilled by it, I knew that on a personal level, I had always dreamt of living out West. So, it eventually came time to make the difficult decision to leave not only my job, but Philadelphia- the city that had become my home for six years and that had witnessed my development as a professional adult.

Given the uniqueness of the program that I had started in Philadelphia, I was asked to present at various conferences and in doing so, had opportunities to meet people all over the country that were involved in grief support on some level. I connected with a Massachusetts-based organization called Peer Support Community Partners that was also focused on grief following deaths due to substance-related causes, but on the peer level. Until that point, the company had intentionally been staffed solely by individuals who identified as peers, meaning individuals with lived experience of loss due to substance-related causes. However, they asked me to join the team as their only clinician to assist with developing and expanding their peer grief support services both within Massachusetts and beyond Massachusetts. I joined them in 2023 as the Director of Outreach Programs.

I am still working with them and absolutely love the work that we do. I feel strongly about the important role that peer grief support plays, especially in stigmatized deaths, such as those due to substance-related causes. We’ve been able to work with groups all over the country to build their own peer grief support networks, such as with the Marion County Coroner’s Office in Indianapolis. A large focus of my work has been on educating the public about the importance of cultural humility in grief. This is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart as a Latina raised in the US that has experienced both cultures and their varying responses to grief.

In the midst of all this, my husband, our dog, and I spent a year living nomadically around the US trying to determine where we wanted to set roots in. We spent significant time in Colorado, Arizona, and California. We ultimately decided to move to Denver and we landed in the University area in 2024. Denver instantly felt like home. While I loved and continue to love my work with Peer Support Community Partners, I was missing the direct clinical work. So, in 2025, I decided to start a private practice focused on evidence-based and comprehensive grief therapy, as well as therapy for life transitions, anxiety, and trauma. I already had my clinical license in Pennsylvania, so I just had to get my clinical license in Colorado. Upon obtaining licensure, I did all the business work required to officially launch my private practice: Vargas Counseling and Consulting, LLC.

It has been such a pleasure being able to design something that is uniquely mine and that is informed by the opportunities that I’ve had to connect with so many bereaved individuals. I started connecting with clinicians, faith leaders, nonprofits, and other similar groups throughout the Denver area and have experienced such a warm welcome. I am so honored to be a part of the community.

Education is a huge passion of mine, so I started teaching at University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. I teach a class called Intersections of Mental Health, Substance Use, and Trauma. Connecting with the students and learning alongside them has been such an enriching experience. This is where I am at today, balancing the three jobs that I am fortunate to feel so passionate about and loving every second of it.

My family and I immigrated to the US from Colombia when I was just two years old. I grew up seeing just how hard my dad worked to become a successful physician in a country where he did not learn the language until his 40s. He has always served as a source of inspiration. When I find myself getting overwhelmed with how much I have going on, I think back to all the obstacles and hurdles that he had to navigate and I think to myself, not only can I do this, but what a privilege to even have the opportunity to do all this.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Working in a niche area (substance use grief) that still carries so much stigma requires a certain level of delicacy when it comes to public messaging. Funding priorities change as politics change and I’ve had to confront that several times. However, I’ve also focused on bringing the human element to the conversation; encouraging people to understand that someone’s cause of death should not determine their legacy, nor should it determine the care and support that their loved ones receive. I’ve been fortunate to witness people’s evolution on this and to see a growth in compassion across society.

Another challenge has been my age. I started my career in grief at 24. I often felt a sense of imposter syndrome- wondering if anyone would care about what I had to say or if I would instantly be dismissed just because I was so young. However, I worked really hard and let the results speak for themselves. I never hid my age, but I also didn’t make it front and center. Presenting at national conferences and being featured on various media platforms put me in the same circles as many of my idols in the field. To my surprise, they have all been so supportive and never seemed to doubt my abilities, regardless of age. They invited me to write chapters in their books, speak on their podcasts, be featured on their YouTube channels, and more. I will forever be grateful for this. Now that I’ve entered my 30s, some of that imposter syndrome has started to fade.

The third and most current challenge is starting over in a new part of the country. Building my private practice in Denver has required a lot of marketing and networking. This has felt different given how naturally I had been able to build my network back in Philadelphia. However, I am always up for a challenge and have ended up meeting some of the most wonderful people. I’ve even started volunteering with local grief-focused organizations like the Heartlight Center and LIGHT Movement, which has brought a really positive sense of community into my life.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Vargas Counseling and Consulting, LLC?
Vargas Counseling and Consulting is my private grief and mental health therapy practice based in Denver. I work with individuals, couples, and families in English and Spanish, both in-person in Denver and online throughout Colorado and Pennsylvania. I specialize in grief, especially that of stigmatized deaths, such as overdose and suicide. I also specialize in non-death losses (e.g., divorce, immigration, job loss, identity shifts, etc.), chronic illness and caregiver burden, burnout and emotional overwhelm, and anxiety.

I approach grief and trauma from a holistic lens, recognizing that these experiences impact us in all aspects of life, and weave a variety of therapeutic approaches to best meet each client’s individual needs. The goal is never to “get over it” or to “move on,” but rather to work on helping clients rebuild their lives in a way that feels meaningful to them.

What sets me apart is the extensive experience that I have in this field. With a decade of experience and national recognition, I’ve had the honor and privilege of working with thousands of individuals and seeing the uniqueness of grief and loss. I tailor each of my evidence-based modalities to the unique needs of each client and have witnessed the most powerful transformations; people who started off feeling completely broken and irreparable turning into people who channel their love to turn their grief into something that serves as a driver and motivator in life.

I am so proud of the brand that I’ve built- one that recognizes the complexity of grief and does not sell people on a quick-fix or solution, but rather a brand that believes deeply in each human being’s inherent resilience and ability to confront life’s biggest challenges. The relationships that I’ve built with my clients inspire me each and every day.

I’d like readers to know that I offer individual, couples, and family therapy and that it is never too soon nor too late to seek help. So often, we try to navigate our challenges on our own, but humans are inherently social beings and our pain needs to be witnessed. For some, having their pain witnessed by family, friends, or peers is enough, and for others, having their pain witnessed and supported by a professional is what helps them move the needle. If someone is even a little bit curious, they can always schedule a free consultation call to ask questions and see how that feels.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I absolutely love the sunshine! This is truly the reason that we chose Denver- we wanted a city that had abundant sunshine, natural beauty and outdoor activities, and that had a diverse community. We’ll hit the two year mark of living here in May and we still experience awe, joy, and gratitude over this being our home.

What I like least is the traffic, but who likes that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vargascounseling.com