Lauren Maxwell, LPC, NCC

Hi there! I’m Lauren. :)

Philosophy

The focus of my work first and foremost is to provide a welcoming, warm, and safe space for us to build a trusting and meaningful connection. This connection is sacred to me and is what allows you to experience transformation in therapy. We will take great care in building this relationship over time in a way that feels comfortable to you. Our relationship will be collaborative, and you will always have the freedom to decide what the focus of your therapy will be and in which direction you would like your therapy to go. Compassion and unconditional acceptance greatly inform my approach.

I am committed to providing high-quality therapy grounded in evidence-based techniques. Many of my clients have found that other traditional forms of therapy have not worked for them or that many of their symptoms, unhelpful behaviors, or innermost painful feelings remained after treatment. My treatment approach is grounded in psychodynamic theory, and incorporates Internal Family Systems (IFS), Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), and Gestalt techniques to help address and resolve the root cause of your symptoms. 

My approach is sensitive, compassionate, active, and engaging. We will work together to identify how your symptoms developed and learn ways to resolve them using the mind and body. We will identify blind spots and find ways to break free from old, habitual ways of being that prevent you from living the life you want to be living. 

Through our work together, you will learn how to tap into your inner internal healing capabilities and strengths and to love and accept yourself fully. You will feel both supported and challenged to grow, gaining new insights and experiencing relief with each session. My goal is to help you find meaningful ways to resolve your symptoms and navigate whatever life may throw your way to bring you lasting joy, peace, and meaning.

Specialty Areas

anxiety & depression

I work with individuals who struggle to shake anxiety and depression, helping them to identify and understand why and how their symptoms developed and learning productive ways to overcome and manage their symptoms in order to improve their everyday functioning and live more meaningful, empowered, and carefree lives.

Many of the clients I work with also experience feelings of inadequacy, as if nothing they ever do is good enough. Understanding how and why these feelings developed and learning to let them go is paramount to living a meaningful life of creativity and purpose, authenticity, self-actualization, acceptance, and transcendence.

Inner Child Work

I work with individuals to connect with their inner child and heal from emotional wounds that occurred in childhood. This process involves connecting with and embracing your inner child, tapping into your original capacity to experience your authentic self. Inner child work can lead to a profound amount of healing and resolution of symptoms. Many of my clients experience significant change in 1-2 sessions and say this is the most transformative work they have done for themselves.

teens

As someone who struggled significantly as a teen and often felt alone and misunderstood, I enjoy working with teens and helping them navigate life and everything that comes with it. Struggling to feel seen, accepted, and understood, and keeping up with the pressures of peers, society, and social media can be overwhelming — I work with teens to help navigate these pressures, to develop a strong sense of self-worth, and to find an authentic voice.

college students and young adults

I specialize in working with college students, and young adults who struggle to know who they are and what they want in life. Discovering who you are and what you want and using that knowledge to create your own life can be daunting in the face of societal pressure, and often, we end up making decisions based on what we “should” be doing rather than what we truly want to be doing, leading to an unfulfilling life. My goal is to help you navigate current societal pressures and the uncertainty of adulthood to help you create a life you truly want that meets your needs, aligns with your values, and brings you joy and fulfillment.

Couples therapy, relationship concerns

I work with couples who struggle to feel deeply seen or understood by their partners and to be vulnerable with one another. Many of the couples I work with struggle to engage in effective communication and to navigate conflict, as well as to establish healthy and effective boundaries.

I help couples learn effective strategies to communicate effectively and to get their needs met in a way that feels safe, productive, and comfortable for both partners, reestablishing peace, harmony, and togetherness. The couples I work with find themselves leaving couples therapy with an increased sense of fulfillment, both individually and together, as one unit.

I also work with many people to explore concerns in their relationships including decreasing unhealthy behaviors, improving communication, establishing healthy boundaries, and ways to remain connected to yourself within a relationship.

People longing for a sense of deep, universal connectedness

Many of my clients yearn to feel a sense of connectedness to the world around them but struggle to find meaningful and effective ways to access that feeling. I help individuals cultivate a spiritual connection to help them feel more deeply connected to themselves and the world in which they live to help them live full, authentic, and joyful lives and find meaningful ways to remain grounded amidst the chaos we call life. 

Additional Areas of Expertise

Adjusting to Life Transitions
Anxiety
Attention Problems
Depression
Discovering Your Identity
Emotion Identification, Regulation, and Awareness
Existential Depression
Finding Meaning and Purpose
Finding Passion and Creativity Again
Grief and Loss
Healthy Boundary Setting
Identity
Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Life Transitions
Low Self-Esteem, Low Self-Worth
Meditation, Mindfulness, and Fortifying the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
Mid-Life Crisis
Spiritual/Awakening Issues
Perfectionism
Personal Growth
Psychodynamic Therapy
Relationship and Communication Difficulties
Self-Criticism
Self-Sabotage
Social Anxiety
Struggling to Launch
Unresolved Emotional Trauma
Quarter-Life Crisis
Young Adults

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Counseling Association (ACA)

• International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association

• Virginia Counselors Association (VCA)

more ABOUT ME

Hobbies + What I do for fun!

In my free time, I love to write and play music, dance, spend time with animals and outdoors, read, watch documentaries, and travel. I am also a second degree reiki practitioner, incorporating energy work, meditation, and mind-body practices into my daily life as part of my spiritual practice. 

Why I became a therapist

I became a therapist due to a deep, inner calling to serve others. Learning that most people feel “less than” has motivated me to help each individual see and honor their worth and what makes their existence a gift to humanity, and I believe the key to changing the world is by each one of us changing ourselves for the better. Going through my own journey of healing and transformation and seeing firsthand that profound personal change is possible further motivated me to help others do the same.

What inspires me about the work I do with patients

My clients inspire me by taking risks to be vulnerable, raw, and face scary and painful emotions. They inspire me by having the courage to admit to their struggles and make attempts to better themselves. Their courage and willingness inspires me daily to be vulnerable and authentic with myself and others, to commit to loving myself, to step outside of my comfort zone, and to face my own hard times and emotions when life throws them my way.

favorite QUOTES

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