Practice Philosophy:
Lauren is a compassionate therapist who helps children, adolescents and adults navigate life’s challenges and lead more satisfying lives. Insightful, warm, and culturally sensitive, she creates a safe and welcoming environment where clients of all ages feel understood and accepted for who they are. Lauren’s clients learn to manage anxiety, overcome perfectionism, heal from trauma, and transition to life changes with greater ease. Her approachable nature, combined with a calm demeanor and sense of humor, helps make therapy feel comfortable and relatable. Clients gain the skills to manage complex emotions and experiences, break large goals into achievable steps, cultivate self-awareness and self-compassion, and take empowered action toward living a more fulfilling and balanced life.
To engage children and teens, Lauren integrates playful, creative interventions including music, art, and movement, demonstrating genuine interest in the things that spark the child’s interest and tailoring treatment to their developmental level. Children learn coping strategies, including breathing and movement techniques, to help manage anxiety and calm themselves down when they feel out of control or overwhelmed. Parental input is respected and parents are actively involved in the treatment process, learning new skills and communication strategies to support their children’s mental health at home. Lauren also collaborates with schools and other providers, advocating for children and helping families navigate complex situations with care.
Areas of Expertise:
Lauren specializes in treating anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues in children, adolescents, and adults. She is particularly adept at helping adolescents and young adults who are struggling with perfectionism, gender and identity exploration, unrealistic expectations, and self-doubt. Inspired by her authentic curiosity about how a client’s past influences their present, she motivates clients to take action in areas that are within their control. She is skilled at helping families repair strained relationships by increasing communication and understanding. She uses a trauma-informed and attachment-based approach, combining evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Play Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused CBT, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She also incorporates elements of mindfulness, and teaches clients to tolerate frustration and anxiety with greater skill.
Experience and Training:
Lauren earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago Crown School of Social Work and a Bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She has received specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as well as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). With experience in diverse settings such as Children’s Advocacy Centers, non-profits, Community Mental Health Centers, and School-Based Clinics, she has worked extensively with individuals from diverse ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds, including recently emigrated Spanish-speaking families. Lauren also served as a school-based therapist in a public high school counseling center, where she helped students manage social anxiety, peer and academic pressures, and a wide range of mental health challenges post-COVID. She also has extensive experience working with youth and adults who have experienced trauma, including family separation, child sexual abuse, unhealthy or controlling relationships, and survivors of intimate partner violence. Lauren’s integrative approach helps clients improve communication and understanding, fostering stronger, healthier relationships and leading to lasting change.
