March 5th, 2026 – Rock Springs, Wyoming
After 33 years with Southwest Counseling Service (SCS), Laura Schmid-Pizzato is retiring, according to a statement from the organization. During her tenure, she oversaw a significant growth of behavioral health services across Sweetwater County and the state.
Schmid-Pizzato joined SCS in 1992 as an outpatient therapist. Over the next three decades, she moved into executive leadership. There, she oversaw the development of one of Wyoming’s most extensive behavioral health systems.
During her time with the organization, SCS Recovery Services grew to include prevention programming, residential treatment, and crisis stabilization. More than 500,000 residential bed days were provided for individuals in recovery during her tenure.
Her impact on the regional healthcare infrastructure included securing more than $25 million in grant funding. Notably, she served as Project Director for the state’s first SAMHSA Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) initiative, a move aimed at integrating behavioral health care access within Sweetwater County.
Schmid-Pizzato’s influence also extended to state policy. In 1993, she co-authored Wyoming’s first mental health professions practice act and later served as Chair of the Wyoming Mental Health Professions Licensing Board. For 25 years, she also co-led CARF accreditation efforts for 17 different programs within SCS.
“Laura’s legacy is not only in the programs she built or the funding she secured,” said Interim Director Melissa Wray-Marchetti. “It is in the lives she strengthened, the professionals she mentored, and the systems she helped create that will serve this community for generations to come.”
While her daily leadership at SCS is coming to an end, the organization stated that the frameworks she established will continue to guide their mission serving Wyoming communities, and extended their deepest gratitude for her dedication.