How Laurie Marsden (MSW’99) Evolved into Helping Other Women Evolve

Laurie Marsden (MSW'99) has been through several evolutions in her life. Having spent a good deal of her early years in the fashion industry, she developed the dream of attending Columbia, and was thrilled to be offered a Special Opportunity Scholarship, through which she was able to obtain a bachelor's degree and then a master's in clinical social work. While at CSSW, she joined the Feminist Caucus and surrounded herself with like-minded women who are interested in women's issues. In this video, Laurie explains how she came to develop a therapy program for women called "8 Steps to Becoming You," for which she is now offering an online version consisting of 46 videos and a 95-page workbook. The program originated in group work and her observation that many of her female clients faced similar issues having to do with identity, personal boundaries, and self-esteem. Her aim is to help other women evolve into the person they want to be—which, as she knows from her own experience as well as her work as a psychotherapist, can be extremely challenging.