Are you a woman feeling misunderstood?Â
Is your past holding you hostage to your future?Â
Are you living or simply existing?Â
Every woman will experience these feelings and more, in a variety of ways.
How do I know? Keep reading 😊
My Story (a portion of it lol)...
My name is Lauren, and I am a licensed therapist in the states of Michigan and Georgia! With all of my education and experience in mental health, I have experienced stress, depression, and anxiety on different levels. I know many will ask: "How can a licensed mental health professional struggle with mental health?!"
My answer is simple: BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN!
No worries, because I used to ask myself this question constantly. To not be "ok" and still have to move forward with everyday life, which included helping others, was HARD! Despite my passion for what I do, the fact of the matter is that I had to remind myself that I am a human being before I am anything else. My journey has given me the strength and tools to persevere and grow as a human being and into an effective therapist. To put it mildly, I love it here and so will you 😉
So, how did I get here?
I have always struggled with defining love and what that looks like for me; I've learned to attribute some of this to my "daddy issues", which we will explore at a later date.Â
To make a very long story short, I entered a relationship at 23 years old with an older man, got married at 26, and divorced at 34. That relationship taught me that I did not love myself, nor was I able to identify what receiving love, in a healthy way, felt like. It also taught me how easy it is to become comfortable with toxicity and never feel like enough. I feared starting over more than staying somewhere I truly didn't need to be.Â
I viewed divorce as a failure... It was embarrassing, hurtful, lonely, and stressful. I felt lost. Not because I wanted the marriage, but because it was all I knew. I knew exactly how to survive in that twisted dynamic but had no clue where to begin on my own.
And then, there was light...
2020 was the beginning of separating myself from my marriage and also the beginning of the infamous PANDEMIC. I was forced into independence with no training wheels, and it was more than scary. In 2021, I officially filed for divorce and a few short months later, I was officially a divorcee.
On the day of my divorce hearing, I remember crying my eyes out and being confused as to why I was even crying. At that point, I had accepted the fact that it was over, and I was ok with that decision. So, why was I so upset?? It was over and now the next chapter can begin, but I had no clue what that looked like and I was extremely afraid of the unknown.
As time moved forward (and lots of therapy), I grew comfortable with my status. I began to shift my energy from anger and fear to the endless possibilities of new beginnings. I realized I was finally in a space to set my own rules, identify boundaries, and define what love means to me. I got over the idea that my time had been wasted and used my experience as a learning tool for myself and others.
My pain has made me a better woman and helper to my clients, and I want to share it with you! My goal is to provide a safe space for women, like me, and to break the stigma around mental health and wellness. Your peace and healing are right around the corner as long as you want it to be.
MANIFEST IT! DO THE WORK! 😊
To learn more about me and/or work with me, click the link below!