Meet Dr. Laura
Dr Laura M. Artiles
Dr. Laura M. Artiles has been a licensed psychologist in the state of Florida since 1995. She is originally from Pinar del Rio, Cuba. She grew up in a home with Christian values. Her upbringing was very difficult in a country that was very harsh towards Christianity. She personally experienced many traumatic events with oppression from the government and culture in her life, family and education, one of them being expelled from a special school of music and arts in a very humiliating way in front of the whole school body for attending a church at the early age of 10 years old. Besides her talents for the arts, music and theater she developed a special interest in understanding human behavior and the mind. Psychology was always an area of her interest but once more was not allowed to enter the University in Cuba and even less study Psychology which was prohibited for Christians in her country. But she is sure God opened the door and immigrated to the United States in 1980 at the age of 17 and immediately engaged in her University studies. The process of a new culture and language was difficult at first but focused to achieve her goal attended Miami-Dade College, Florida International University and obtained her degree as Doctor of Philosophy, (Ph.D) in general clinical psychology with distinction and the highest honors in February 1990 from the Miami Institute of Psychology, formerly Albizu University.
Her working experience in this field includes her first ten years as a school psychologist for Miami-Dade county public schools. She opened her private practice in 1996 as a clinical psychologist and has had jobs as psychotherapist for rehabilitation centers for addictions, clinical supervisor for psychiatric partial hospitalization centers and in the forensic field in the evaluation of inmates at correctional facilities. But more important for her has been her faith and maintaining a stable Christian home environment where her two sons grew up, not to become an engineer like their father or a psychologist like their mother but medical doctors in their twenties at the same age as doctor Laura.
But a purpose life never settles or stops from growing, Dr. Laura Artiles started to get closer to God in her personal life which helped her win the battle of a traumatic impact she had to face during her mid-life years. Building resilience with the supernatural power of God through Christ strengthened her soul and she experienced in her heart to advance in the area of a Christian Ministry with her knowledge and experience of the human mind. This is how the Metamorphic Counseling center was founded. At this time she has completed her studies at the International School of Ministry while attending her current church, Jesus Worship Center where the presence of God’s spirit has been more real than she could have ever imagined in her life. She has also obtained her Certification in Pastoral Counseling at Sarasota Academy of Christian Counseling.
Metamorphic Counseling International Corp. was incorporated in 2017 and opened its doors in June 2018 as a Ministry. This year in March 2020 in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic this organization was fully approved as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a vision of treating PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorders), which significantly affects veterans and the general population after going through traumatic life experiences and disasters. Dr. Artiles believes that the decision to create this organization with this vision was God’s assignment for such a time as this. She has not only been prepared with her own personal and professional experiences and knowledge but has dedicated hours of continuing education within the last years to become actualized with the latest studies in the area of trauma, the neuroscience behind it and different psychotherapeutic interventions effective for this psychological disorders that affects the whole body mind and spirit.
In this new counseling center using a system called Metamorphosis, a holistic approach will be integrated as a faith based model to assist patients restore their functioning. For her is also the beginning of another facet in her professional and woman of faith’s life also ministering for the advancement of God’s kingdom. She is pleased to announce now at this time that the world is facing traumatic experiences such as the COVID-19 pandemic and many natural disasters and traumatic experiences that she is dedicated to help together with her staff therapists to build resilient minds empowered by the creator’s intention for us to be aligned in the perfection and purpose for what we were created like the ”flying high” monarch butterfly. In this crucial time she is in the frontline in mental health and is very happy to see her young adult sons also been in the frontline as medical doctors. Dr. Laura continues training interns from Christian Universities, actively now as a supervisor for Liberty University. Her center is open to assist local churches and her community but mostly has a special interest to work with the veterans that have been very affected defending our nation with the devastating condition of PTSD.