Sahithi
Lauren is a wonderful person and does her job well. It was very easy for me to get comfortable with her as she possesses a very friendly and inviting aura. She does her work seriously and is always looking for new ways to help others in her practice. Lauren brought out a new and happier side of me through her patience and expertise. I believe she is a great person to work with, always welcoming you with a smile on her face. Thank you, Lauren.
Eli
Lauren is an incredibly respectful therapist, regardless of your background or identity. As a transgender man, I have a history of therapists insisting that my gender identity was a delusion, often to the deficit of helping me with what I actually came to therapy for. Lauren saw me as a whole individual and helped me work on my fears of opening up to the other people while respecting and validating my identity as a part of me, rather than a symptom. With her help, I was able to finally identify with the mental illness that has been troubling me for much of my life. Armed with this information, I’ve been able to approach my life through a new lens and work to better live with my symptoms and be a healthier person. I wouldn’t have had that without her help.
Jon Yung
I suffered through anxiety, depression, and a traumatic event during the beginning of my adolescence. In my desperation, I searched for a source of help, and I ended up discovering Lauren. For the past three years, Lauren has aided me in making unbelievable progress. She has helped me identify my dysfunctional thinking and behaviors and correct them. She also taught me a plethora of healthy coping mechanisms to use in place of my previous ones.
Lauren has guided me through years of teenage turmoil, drama, stress, and anxiety. She has helped me process the events in my life in a healthy manner, and identify goals for myself. When I look back on the place I was at when I first met Lauren, I am completely stunned by the progress I’ve made. I never would have thought it to be possible for me to be in such a healthy state of mind, but Lauren has made it possible. To this day, Lauren is continuing to help me grow into a better version of myself.
Kathy Connor
I really loved going to sessions with Lauren. She was very open and had a lot of answers for things I was questioning. My favorite aspect of going to her sessions was that she wouldn’t let me stay in the same rut. I felt that every session I made progress and that was very important for me. In addition, she is also very caring and open with her schedule and that made me feel that I was more than just a client, which isn’t a feeling that you get everywhere. Even while I am at college, she makes an effort to check in and just see how things are going, which never fails to put a smile on my face. I can’t thank her enough!
Jon Yung
To Whom This May Concern,
When Lauren asked me to write this I was delighted and honored. I came to Lauren in October of 2016 after I lost my mom. I was 16 years old and was very hesitant about going to therapy. I did not think I needed it, but my guardian insisted on me going weekly. Losing a family member is never easy, but it took over my entire life. I was in a very dark place in my life; I was self-harming, isolating myself from loved ones, losing weight in an unhealthy way, missing school, and other signs of depression. I was very resentful toward all things about therapy because I thought it was a sign of weakness. I felt this for a long time, but slowly that feeling started to go away, and that is because of Lauren.
My loved ones and I could easily see my improvement. I was getting better weekly because of the skills she has given me in order to function on a day to day basis. Through the DBT skills she has given me, I have learned how to cope with a depressive episode, talk positively to myself, and she has given me so many tips on how to cope with the loss of my mother. She never forced me to talk or do something I did not want to, but she always gave me my options. I think the two most important things she has helped me realize is the importance of asking for help and giving myself credit for how far I have come. These were things I have struggled with for the majority of my life. Through time and guidance, I was able to overcome these burdens I had put on myself and I will forever be grateful for Lauren’s effort in helping me.
When it was time for me to leave for college, I was nervous for obvious reasons, but one of the main reasons was because I had to leave Lauren. After my mom passed, Lauren was one of the only consistent things in my life. She was consistent in her time, location, but most importantly in her support. If there was ever a time that I felt I couldn’t get out of bed, she would always let me know that I could do an appointment over the phone. If there was an emergency and I needed to see her, she would immediately tell me her openings to come in or if a phone call would help. She has never given up on me, she has always made me feel like I was her first concern when I was with her, and I know I could trust her with anything. I did not know if I would be okay without seeing her for long periods of time. However, Lauren assured me that she was just a phone call or text message away.
It always puts a smile on my face to see a message from her and she always makes me feel like she cares at all times, not just in a session. I use the skills that she has given me daily and even recommend them to my loved ones. Everyone I care about knows how important Lauren is to me and how crucial she has been to me for the past two years. Lots of people say that while going to therapy you may need to hop from therapist to therapist to find the right, but I was so lucky to have found the right one the first time. I genuinely do not know what I would do without her and would recommend her without reservation. Anyone who has her as a therapist is very lucky and will see improvement in themselves.
Kathy Connor
Before I started seeing Lauren, I didn’t know what to think about therapy. I think I mainly thought of it more in a negative way vs a positive thing. I had known people that had done it before, but I mainly thought it was for people who suffered depression or had parents who went through a divorce etc. However, when I had my first session with Lauren, I quickly learned seeking therapy was much more than that. She was an unbiased friend who I was able to share all my thoughts, feelings, secrets and insecurities with without judgment. Lauren was so approachable and welcoming, it put me at ease the first time I went to see her and made me want to open up to her. At the time, it was a few months after I had broken up with my boyfriend who had said some damaging things to me and about me. I had completely shut out emotions, felt broken in many ways, and just hadn’t been myself in a while. I went into the session expecting to just talk about that relationship, but after opening up, there ended up being so many underlying issues that I realized I had never really dealt with.
Two of the best things I gained from my time with Lauren was validation of my feelings and saying “I feel that” instead of “You did this”. I never really understood how important it was to feel validated in my feelings. Yes, we all feel different things, and Lauren never judged what I was feeling or told me what I was feeling was wrong. She always validated my thoughts and even if they weren’t always the best, instead of just giving me her opinion, she worked with me to think of other point of views to the situation, how we could come to a solution, and what I’d like to accomplish. While working with Lauren, I felt my self-confidence grow and I believe I was able to become a better version of myself. She was even willing to Facetime me when I went away to school again, which was extremely helpful. During my time in therapy I also better repaired my relationship with my mom and dealt with many issues I didn’t even know were really bothering me. Since then, I have taken a lot of the techniques I used in my time in therapy into my everyday relationship, which has really helped me grow.