Lauren Melvin

Helping Clients Thrive No one comes to therapy when life is perfect. I often first meet clients on some of their worst days – when burdens are heavy, fears are real, emotions are big, concerns and challenges are impacting functioning, and goals and hope are hard to see. I strive to create a safe space to do all these things by taking the mystery and intimidation out of therapy and replacing them with a sense of clarity for how to work toward positive change combined with genuine empathy for the raw and messy thoughts, feelings, and circumstances that rise up throughout life. I love to help parents build new skills and perspectives for engaging and connecting with their children. I help families improve their communication, emotional regulation, and employ mindful conflict resolution strategies. I strive to create a safe place for children and teens to express themselves and develop a toolkit for a life-time of healthy emotional awareness and behavior regulation. I believe in the capacity for every couple to deepen their connection and resolve conflicts with compassion and respect. I help individuals with a variety of concerns by leading them to deeper self-awareness while planning small, achievable steps in the direction of their goals. Some of my favorite therapeutic tools are validation, a comforting presence, humor, and gentle confrontation. I develop authentic connection with my clients by earning trust, showing respect, providing space for all emotions, and relating deeply to the difficulties inherent in the human experience. While I rely on a variety of evidence-based interventions, I am largely grounded by attachment and family systems theories, solution-focused and mindfulness techniques, and developmentally and neurobiologically informed methods.