Lauren Christensen

Lauren/LC Christensen  In the Disney Movie ©The Lion King, Rafiki the wise monkey says, “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.”  Being an avid Harry Potter, Disney fan has taught me a lot of things in my life. I have been a therapist for over 10 + years. I specialize in all types of traumas both “Little t” and “Big T” traumas (i.e. family or origins, bullying, chronic health, divorce, adjustment issues, life change, to all types of abuse and harm), depression, addiction, and anxiety. I work with individuals, families, couples, the LGTBQIA+ community, first responders/military, and ages 6-76+ years old.    As your therapist, therapy should not be easy (sorry to burst your bubble), but it will be worth it. We can do it together, growth and healing are possible. We will learn  to notice your past/present pain, then through various trauma modalities (EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), TF-CBT, IFS)) we will learn to remove the pain/emotion without changing the memory. After all, if you get a splinter, you wouldn’t keep it in your body for longer than necessary? You take it out.   For my kiddos/teens/families my approach is through nonjudgement, kindness, and fun. I believe parents/guardians should participate in the healing of their children, and also as they do, they grow themselves. My main client however is your child/teen. Through helping them learn coping skills, ways to regulate their intense emotions, increase self-esteem, and eventually if needed trauma work, they can become who they need to be. Think of me as a younger, female version of Dumbledore from © Harry Potter.  Through play therapy, experiential learning, expressive arts, or hands on mental health homework your child/teen can learn to be the best version of themselves, so they are better prepared for adulthood   I promise you if you are willing to do the work and stick with it, healing is possible, and it starts with a phone call to Arcadia Counseling.