Lauren Walden, LCSW

Lauren Walden, LCSW, psychotherapist, young woman with long, wavy brown hair, smiling, wearing a blue denim shirt, standing outdoors with green foliage in the background.

Prior to opening a private practice, I worked in medical social work, palliative medicine, and psychiatric settings. As a psychotherapist in private practice, I prioritize the individual needs of my clients and feel privileged to do this work. I commit to ongoing learning and deepening my practice, currently studying psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the New Center for Psychoanalysis. I find it useful to study and blend traditional treatment with trauma-informed approaches to deepen the work that I do.

At the heart of my work is a deep recognition of the importance of attending to diversity - within myself as a therapist, in collaboration with my client, and in the relational space between us. I have found it valuable to disclose the intersection of my identities, as a bi-cultural (Mexican-American), lesbian woman with prospective clients. My clients have shared it can be hard to find a therapist who is part of the LGBTQ+ community and Latinx and I want clients to know that in naming this in me, that I will acknowledge and respect the intersection of your identities as they are critical to your unique experience.

Credentials and Training

LCSW# 110396

Ongoing training and consultation:

  • Candidate - Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program at New Center for Psychoanalysis

Completed trainings:

  • Trauma Certificate - Boston College, Complex Trauma Certification Training I, II, Gottman Method Level I, ADHD Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP), Integrative Sex and Couples Certification, Gender Affirming Letter Writing - No More Gatekeeping, Somatic Regulation and Embodiment Certificate

Completed education:

  • Masters of Social Work, Boston College

  • Bachelors of Social Work, California State University Los Angeles

My Approach

  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is a type of therapy that encourages open dialogue and an exploration of patterns. I consider things like unconscious forces that may be at play in challenges that manifest in psychological symptoms. This encourages self understanding and insight, and development of new ways to relate to others and ones self.

  • Relational therapy means that I will attune to the dynamic between the two of us to make sure

    • we build an intentional foundation to begin deep work and that

    • we continue to build and attend to shifts in the dynamic as all relationships shift and need attention and care

    This can be helpful for my clients to help enlighten dynamics within their relationships with others

  • I don’t work on processing trauma until you feel ready to. I understand that trauma work involves things like establishing safety in the here and now, working with triggers and getting curious about the mind-body connection

Areas of Focus