Laura Wandner, Ph.D.
Psychologist | Clinical
7131 Arlington Rd Apt 417 Bethesda MD, 20814About
Dr. Laura Wandner is a clinical health psychologist practicing in Bethesda, MD. Clinical health psychologists focus on promoting overall well-being as well as coping with acute and chronic illnesses. Dr. Wandner specializes in helping patients understand the mind-body connection, helping them to improve their quality of life despite experiencing acute or chronic health conditions, and improving the way they live despite stress and hardships. Dr. Wandner specializes in treating patients with acute and chronic pain, headaches, and migraines. Dr. Wandner also has extensive experience treating insomnia, weight management, and managing life stressors. As a clinical health psychologist, Dr. Wandner evaluates and treats patients through a variety of methods, most typically including psychotherapy or talk therapy. Dr. Wandner also conducts a variety of integrated mental health assessments to diagnose a mental condition or better understand the impacts of biopsychosocial factors impacting a patient’s health experience. Dr. Wandner’s practice is tele-therapy practice. Dr. Wandner is licensed in the state of Maryland and can see patients via tele-therapy in any of the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) participating states (full list here). For more information about Dr. Wandner's practice, please visit her website - https://www.wandnerhealthandwellness.com
Education and Training
University of Florida PhD 2013
Provider Details
Laura Wandner, Ph.D.'s Expert Contributions
Can you treat depression without meds?
Yes, you can treat depression without medications. One of the evidence based treatments for depression is called Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression. READ MORE
Expert Publications
Data provided by the National Library of Medicine- The influence of sex, race, and age on pain assessment and treatment decisions using virtual human technology: a cross-national comparison.
- Pain assessment and treatment decisions for virtual human patients.
- The role of anger in psychosocial subgrouping for patients with low back pain.
- Using virtual human technology to provide immediate feedback about participants' use of demographic cues and knowledge of their cue use.
- Assessment of the Influence of Demographic and Professional Characteristics on Health Care Providers' Pain Management Decisions Using Virtual Humans.
Areas of expertise and specialization
Professional Memberships
- US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP)
- International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
- American Psychological Association
- Maryland Psychological Association (MPA)
- National Register of Health Service Psychologists
Fellowships
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System postdoctoral 2015
Charities and Philanthropic Endeavors
- Red Cross
What do you attribute your success to?
- meeting patients where they\'re at with empathy
Areas of research
Dr. Laura D. Wandner is a Program Officer in the Office of Pain Policy and Planning at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). She manages research programs within the Acute to Chronic Pain Signature Program (A2CPS) and the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative (HEAL). Prior to opening a private practice, Dr. Wandner held the position of clinical pain psychologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). Dr. Wandner’s past research focused primarily on assessing how demographic characteristics impact providers’ pain management services; how patients and providers can use technology in pain management practices; the development of pain psychology competencies, identifying the core competencies that providers should have before working as a pain psychologist; and the examination of large datasets to help better understand how patient, provider, and facility characteristics impact patients with musculoskeletal disorders.
Laura Wandner, Ph.D.'s Practice location
Bethesda, MD 20814Get Direction
Laura Wandner, Ph.D.'s reviews
Write ReviewMedia Releases
Get to know Psychologist Dr. Laura Wandner, who serves patients in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Wandner, a committed and compassionate clinical health psychologist, is the Director of Wandner Health and Wellness, LLC. She is licensed to practice in the state of Maryland and can see patients via tele-therapy in any of the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) participating states.
“My job is to provide a supportive and compassionate space where you can learn skills that will help you manage the thoughts, feelings, emotions, sensations, and behaviors that come with life’s challenges. We will work together using evidence-based strategies that are tailored to your needs. My goal is to empower you to prioritize your health and make space in your life for the things that matter most to you” expressed Dr. Wandner.
Her interests are in helping patients to understand the mind-body connection, helping them to improve their quality of life despite experiencing chronic health conditions, and improving the way that they live despite stress and hardships.
Specializing in health psychology, Dr. Wandner focuses on promoting overall well-being as well as coping with acute and chronic illnesses. She also specializes in treating patients with acute and chronic pain, headaches, and migraines, as well as has extensive experience treating insomnia, weight management, and managing life stressors.
Throughout her academic career, Dr. Wandner graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Government from Connecticut College in 2007. She then went on to earn both her Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Clinical and Health Psychology, Behavioral Medicine track, from the University of Florida in 2011 and 2014, respectively.
Furthering her training, she performed her clinical internship (rotations in chronic pain, psycho-oncology, tobacco cessation, weight and diabetes management, primary care treatments, and inpatient consultation liaison services) with VA Connecticut Healthcare System in 2014. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship (Rotations in the integrative pain clinic, opioid reassessment clinic, anesthesiology pain clinic, primary care setting, and spinal cord stimulator evaluation clinic) with the said establishment in 2015.
While she has spent the majority of her career working in hospital settings, Dr. Wandner now seeks to increase community access to health psychology services. In her part-time private practice, she hopes to continue helping patients live their best values-driven life.
She takes a very collaborative approach to ensure that each patient feels that they are being heard and that their goals are being met. Her therapeutic style is warm, genuine, and empathetic, remaining present while working with each patient on navigating physical and emotional obstacles together.
“I want to understand what is important to you about your lived experiences and your identities – such as your culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or abilities – and draw on your personal strengths to help you reach your goals,” stated Dr. Wandner.
Among her professional affiliations, she is an active member of the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP), the International Association for the Study of Pain, the American Psychological Association, the Maryland Psychological Association, and the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.
A Program Officer in the Office of Pain Policy and Planning at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Dr. Wandner manages programs within the Acute to Chronic Pain Signature Program (A2CPS) and the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative (HEAL). She also leads the HEAL Initiative’s Common Data Element (CDE) Initiative.
Prior to opening a private practice, she held the position of clinical pain psychologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Psychology is the science of behavior and mind. It includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope. Psychologists assess, diagnose, and treat the psychological problems and behavioral dysfunctions resulting from, or related to, physical and mental health. In addition, they play a major role in the promotion of healthy behavior, preventing diseases and improving patients’ quality of life.
Pertaining to her philanthropic endeavors, Dr. Wandner is a volunteer with the Red Cross.
Recommended Articles
- The 5 Possible Causes of Multiple Sclerosis
MS is the result of an abnormal response by the body’s immune system. This response results in an attack on the central nervous system — the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. Specifically, the immune system attacks the protective coating around the nerve fibers — myelin — creating scar...
- A Guide to Recognizing the Early Signs of Shingles
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a disease that occurs due to the reappearance of the varicella-zoster virus, which is the causative agent of chickenpox. Shingles usually starts with a skin rash. These skin rashes occur either in the form of a band or a strip covering a small area on your...
- What is Dehydration: Get the Facts
Dehydration, simply put, is a loss of water from body cells. It can occur when the body loses more water than it takes in. Around sixty percent of the human body is made up of water. Around two-thirds of this water is contained within our cells; these are the basic life-giving units of the human...
- Is Insomnia Curable?
Insomnia is the condition where one cannot sleep or spends a lot of time in bed before sleeping. The only positive thing linked with this disorder is the fact that insomnia is curable. The common causes of insomnia include stress that comes about from school or work, as well as because of health...
- What Causes Asthma?
Asthma is a kind of disease that is characterized by affecting the airways/outlets that carry air to and from the lungs. People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic. This disease comes like a bolt from the blue - a three-pronged attack on the...
- The Best Ways to Fight CF
Children are so integral to our lives. As adults, we often want to do everything possible to protect them. Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that is diagnosed during childhood, making it feel overwhelming to parents who are trying to give their child the best quality of life. When getting a new...
Nearby Providers
- Dr. Maurine Kelber Kelly PHD4809 St Elmo Avenue Bethesda MD 20814
- Dr. Fredric Barry Kleiner PH.D.4401 East West Highway Bethesda MD 20814
- Dr. Sharon Birman PSY.D.4301 Jones Bridge Rd Bethesda Maryland 20814
- Dr. Roxanna Whitney Wolfe PSYD7988 Old Georgetown Rd Bethesda MD 20814
- Dr. Wilfried Busse PH.D.4801 Hampden Ln Bethesda MD 20814
- Mrs. Ilana Bar-levav MD7920 Old Georgetown Rd Bethesda MD 20814