Hi, I'm Lauren, and I'm a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (#112602). I see clients in California through my online practice. I have an MA in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies, and I trained at Golden Gate Integral Counseling Center. I’ve been seeing clients since 2013. I'm a member of CAMFT (California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists).
In my pre-therapist life, I travelled and lived in various places and taught ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) to adults for about ten years. I've also taught fifth graders reading, writing & social studies, worked retail numerous times, been a caregiver, worked for an interior decorator who designed desk accessories, interned at a magazine, done freelance editing & writing, worked the counter in a couple of cafes, and worked in a dental office.
In my parallel life, I read tarot and practice reiki. You can learn more about that here.
I think we can learn a lot about life from observing nature: everything begins in darkness and silence; rot and decomposition enrich the soil and lead to new, healthy life; apparently dead plants put out fresh green leaves and begin a new period of growth. Change, diversity, and creativity are the rule, not the exception, in nature and in us.
And while I believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I think it can also make you depressed, anxious, confused, scared, ashamed, deeply hurt, and really angry, among other things. Luckily, sometimes it can also make you laugh.
I think there is beauty, Spirit, and wonder in all of us— yes, you— and I help my clients have more fun in their lives and access the healing and wholeness within. I accompany and support clients as they explore themselves, and am with them in the terrifying places no one wants to go into, as well as in the joyful spaces that can be strange in their own way. Therapy goes into the roots and depths, as well as the heights of human experience.
I have an eclectic approach that includes imagery, nature, mindfulness, somatics, and gestalt in an atmosphere of acceptance, warmth and humor, with analysis on the back burner. I welcome diversity of all kinds.