Lauren Waxwing

My focus lies in supporting individuals who are grappling with PTSD, mood disorders, anxiety, neurodivergence, parenting challenges, and relationship issues. I strive to foster a non-judgmental atmosphere that encourages genuine expression and creativity. I value your experiences as meaningful and worth investigating. As a family systems therapist, I explore how external systems (such as culture and family of origin) impact us, alongside our internal attachment patterns and meaning making processes. You can gain a deeper understanding of what it means to live within your own history and gain choice in areas that felt restricted. Often, when struggling to identify or accept difficult emotions, we resort to a good/bad dichotomy that can reinforce the problem we are seeking support for, keeping us stuck as we try our best, with our own solutions being an aspect of what is binding us. In psychotherapy, loss, trauma, conflict, and guilt can be approached with curiosity and respect. Psychotherapy provides a space to reflect on what feels true, identify emotions in your body, and consider your relationship and behavior patterns that confusingly repeat. It’s space to honor your own complexity, in a container where it can be reflected back to you with compassion. Trusting yourself and exploring what is your own desire, rather than outsourcing it to others, is invaluable. Within us there are intricacies that, given space, have the potential to open new pathways. I hope to support you in accessing more freedom and connection. The meaning you make will be deeply personal. I earned my Master's in Counseling Psychology from Saint Martin's University in 2018. The first 3 years in practice, I worked in a high acuity setting with teens and young adults in co—occurring treatment, focused on mental health and substance abuse. I have significant focus on trauma-informed care and am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a treatment aimed at integrating and alleviating distress from traumatic experiences. Since entering private practice, I have focused on having a psychodynamic approach, while also teaching coping skills, such as from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I recently completed training in "Basic Analytic Approach to Psychotherapy: Clinical Issues" through the Northwest Alliance for Psychoanalytic Study and am going forward with similar continuing education.