Meet Lauren
CLINICIAN + FOUNDER
LMFT #131779
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Every one of us deserves joy, peace-of-mind, self-love and well-being.
trauma informed
GOTTMAN LEVEL 1 + LEVEL 2
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE
EMDR
TRAINED
holistic lens
lgbtq+ Affirming
anti-racist
sex positive
MY PHILOSOPHY
WE ARE DIVERTED
We deserve to reach our full potential. Yet, somewhere along the way, we are diverted–oftentimes when our past burdens us, change upsets us, or unmet expectations disappoint us.
Attempting to make sense of this distress, we engage in patterns that seem to comfort us, but in actuality, they move us further away from growth and distance us from the very things that have the power to fulfill us.
MY AIM
I aim to help you pinpoint and challenge these patterns, support you in rewriting your story, and ultimately guide you in finding your way back towards (or discover for the very first time) the positive life that you are worthy of experiencing.
Led by the belief that each client is incredibly unique, I don’t rely on a rigid formula, but tailor evidence-based practices (below) and utilize universal factors in order to facilitate discovery and change.
WHAT I FOSTER
Aside from your own dedication and bravery, one of the most crucial components of therapy is your comfort and our relationship.
With that in mind, as your therapist, I seek to foster a culturally-sensitive, safe, and nurturing space. I offer unwavering empathy, validation, humor, and patience as you face, explore, and work through issues that hold you back.
We are diverted
MY AIM
WHAT I FOSTER
We deserve to reach our full potential. Yet, somewhere along the way, we are diverted–oftentimes when our past burdens us, change upsets us, or unmet expectations disappoint us.
Attempting to make sense of this distress, we engage in patterns that seem to comfort us, but in actuality, they move us further away from growth and distance us from the very things that have the power to fulfill us.
I aim to help you pinpoint and challenge these patterns, support you in rewriting your story, and ultimately guide you in finding your way back towards (or discover for the very first time) the positive life that you are worthy of experiencing.
Led by the belief that each client is incredibly unique, I don’t rely on a rigid formula, but tailor evidence-based practices (below) and utilize universal factors in order to facilitate discovery and change.
Aside from your own dedication and bravery, one of the most crucial components of therapy is your comfort and our relationship.
With that in mind, as your therapist, I seek to foster a culturally-sensitive, safe, and nurturing space. I offer unwavering empathy, validation, humor, and patience as you face, explore, and work through issues that hold you back.
My ultimate hope is to inspire growth, as you come out on the other side feeling more self-aware, fulfilled, and empowered.
education & Experience
4 yrs at 9-5s in marketing intelligence
5 years as an educator
Masters of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, USC
Graduate Training & Clinical Hours at Kaiser’s Watts Counseling and Learning Center
Post-Grad Associate Clinical Hours at Insight Psychotherapy Group and Meridian Counseling.
3500 hours of therapy, experience, and training with hands-on weekly supervision from seasoned clinicians
Private Practice formed,
Wanderfull Therapy
strengthening clinical experience through work with individuals and couples, as well as professional development in areas like CPTSD, EMDR, TF-CBT, DBT, Gottman, etc.
integrative approach
evidence-based practices that we value
Many clients perceive themselves as ordinary, even though they are far from it. Building intentional awareness around your strengths can lead to better self-esteem, increased potential in accomplishing goals, and growth in happiness. In this therapy, clients are equipped with positive thinking tools. They are encouraged to explore their personal strengths, identify them in others and the world around them, and create positive changes in their lives.
This orientation assists in conceptualizing a client’s presenting concerns by identifying how clients lived experiences and relationships from the past may have shaped their present day behavior and patterns. These connections are identified and explored through therapeutic conversation and ultimately, they foster a client’s awareness of self.
While traditional talk therapy can be powerful, it has a healing limit for some lived experiences. The impact of distressing events are often stored in the brain and body, which means that a somatic therapeutic approach is typically necessary to fully process and heal. EMDR is a widely researched therapy modality that aligns with this science and is used to help those recovering from trauma.
It’s common for clients to fall into a pattern of automaticity, to keep moving forward in their day-to-day lives without pause or introspection, which often leads to an auto-pilot disconnection from emotions and your body. Mindfulness is a state of present moment awareness and through it’s practice and other somatic techniques, clients build a more attuned and accepting relationship with themselves and their surroundings. Developing these strategies can potentially lead to a reduction of anxiety, stress, and depression, but can also increases one’s self-compassion and overall well-being.
Otherwise known as CBT, this therapy asserts that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are deeply interconnected. Through collaborative problem solving, this approach encourages clients to challenge distorted thoughts, change negative behavior, and ultimately alleviate self-defeating emotions.
PRE-CLINICAL BACKGROUND
An east coast native, Lauren first leveraged her B.A. in Psychology from Fairfield University as an intelligence analyst within NYC’s advertising scene. There, she was charged with curating psychological profiles for brand audiences by making sense of data and research that shed light on what truly mattered to each community. In hindsight, Lauren credits this role as a powerfully defining experience on her path to becoming a therapist, as she became acutely aware of the messages and stories that universally motivate human emotion, thought, and behavior–as well as those that spoke more intimately to specific identities, intersectionalities, generations, cultural communities, and neighborhoods.
In her next (and last) position in digital media, she was invested in creating helpful, accurate, and engaging content for a comprehensive portfolio of online destinations, many of which were geared towards mental health, including depression, PTSD, support groups, and substance abuse. She actively engaged with members of each community, building relationships with those who were struggling, their loved ones, as well as online leaders in each area. Lauren relies on the lessons she learned here in this role as a therapist: how life-changing psychoeducation can be for those who haven’t had access to the right resources and more importantly, how healing it is for people to lean on one another for support and company during the most painful experiences.
Desiring a shift to a more impactful career, Lauren first volunteered in Tanzania before entering the world of helping professions via education in 2012. Upon acceptance into Teach for America, she earned her Masters in Education from Loyola Marymount University, in tandem with a rigorous non-profit program focused on understanding the effects that inequity, poverty, and social injustice have on human beings, especially those in disenfranchised communities. Lauren continues to carry these powerful teachings into each therapy session, carefully inviting the consideration of socio-cultural factors that may have been or continue to be integral aspects of a clients’ life experience.
Throughout her six years in and out of the classroom as an English education specialist, Lauren received unique training centered around how to effectively create, differentiate, and present learning materials, so that all students had equal access to comprehension and mastery, regardless of their process or path. To this day, in addition to utilizing the power of themes and metaphors to enhance client perspective, Lauren also applies differentiation skills to her therapeutic approach by pinpointing how an individual client absorbs information best and customizing psychoeducation and communication to fit their needs and empower change. Increasingly inspired by the mental health needs of students, parents, and teachers in her professional life and the socio-emotional wellness goals of family, friends, media, and the wider world community in her personal sphere, she shifted focus back to her psychology roots and life-long aspirations by finally embarking on the journey to become a therapist.
AREAS OF FOCUS
LET'S TALK
invest in yourself by seeing if we "click"
Wanderfull Therapy
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providing online therapy to individuals and couples across California.