THE RELATIONSHIP CENTER
LAUREN STEVENS
My Focus Areas
Relationships and connection: We are relational beings. We start to learn about relationships both with ourselves and with our families when we are young. As we grow, we continue to learn and develop relationships with others outside of our families, both intimate and platonic. Relational work is one of my favorite forms of work because I find it to be the most challenging and fulfilling. You have invited someone into your world and sometimes that is terrifying. Other times, it is exciting and along the way there is a lot of vulnerability that has to occur to find your safe space with and within one another. I am passionately present with you, or your couple, for this process as we unpack the areas of discomfort, highlight the areas of strength, while simultaneously supporting growth and connection along the way. My goal as your provider is to assess the dynamics of your relationships, both internal and external, and assist you with overcoming any hurdles or challenges related to unhealthy patterns that could be impacting your connections, trust, and safety. As Robin Williams once said “we get to choose who we let into our weird little world.”
Motherhood and all of its layers: Are you a chaos coordinator? Becoming a mother, whether this is your first child or fourth, is a HUGE transition. It is as I like to call it “beautiful chaos,” where you allow your heart to walk around outside of your body while still being expected to maintain your own functioning and responsibilities. Many mamas find themselves attempting to reparent themselves while parenting their own babies. You, my darlings, are some of my favorite mamas to work with. I have a passion for supporting mothers within the layers of all of these transitions that we refer to as “motherhood.” I utilize compassion, lots of skill building, and a healthy dose of empowerment to support mothers in navigating through this massive undertaking. My goal is to support you, mama, in finding your own groove to move with confidence. You are a warrior; don’t you forget it.
Individuals; Adolescents and Early Adulthood: I saved you for last because I love working with adolescents and 20-somethings. Yes, that is an actual population term. This is the best and worst time of your life and I feel that on a deep level. There are so many transitions occurring at this time in your life and so much pressure from external avenues that it can feel a bit overwhelming, or even isolating at times. I am here to cultivate a place of non-judgement and gentle, but straight forward accountability. I utilize a mix of traditional and non-traditional methods such as music, art, equine assisted, ecotherapy and when in the office, sand tray interventions to aid individuals in processing, growth, and application of skills. Identity is a fickle and layered beast, I’m here to help you navigate that.
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Lauren Stevens
She/her/hers
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
TRC Telehealth
Approach
Clearly by now you have a sense that I’m a tad conversational. I am in this with you and honestly, we’re just having a conversation. A purposeful, intentional, completely non-judgmental conversation. I am honored to walk through your story with you. I use a hybrid model of systemic and individual theories depending upon the needs we identify in session. I do not believe in rigid or fixed theoretical practice. I also believe that I can and will learn as much from you as you will from me. Our sessions will be collaborative in nature. We are co-creators of our reality and narrative. I believe that you are the expert on your life and experiences and own the copyright to your story. I also believe that we are all capable of radical, beautiful, empowered growth. I am here to help you define what that could mean for you and begin to put the pieces together for your masterpiece debut.
Qualifications
Alright, let’s get down to business. I have had the unique opportunity of serving as a therapist in many settings with a variety of individuals, couples and families. My professional journey includes experiences in traditional and intensive in-home services, agency settings, various school-based settings including non-traditional alternative schools with severely mentally ill and traumatized youth to Private Catholic Schools in the Akron area, to, finally, private practice. I have worked and experienced a little bit of everything and I am honestly, so very humbled and thankful for it. I completed my Master’s degree at the University of Akron in Counselor Education; Marriage and Family therapy and have an undergraduate background in Psychology and Sociology through Baldwin Wallace University. I have specialized training in EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Gottman- Level 1; Couples work, Perinatal and Postnatal, Sand Tray, Equine assisted and other trauma informed practices. Learning is something near and dear to my soul.
Personal Information
Hello! I have a lot of hats that I wear but the one I wear the most these days is “Chaos Coordinator, mother of two under 5.” I am one of those rare relational unicorns that married their high school sweetheart and I’m still happily married 10+ years later. I know, weird right? My friends and family say that I have a dark sense of humor, a large personality, and an even larger heart. I invest pretty
deeply in the people and things that I commit to. I am a human version of a Labrador. I am a very social person and enjoy spending time with my husband, our children, friends, family, and of course, our dog Oakley. I am drawn to animals and nature, which is where I usually retreat when I need some time to reflect. I have a strong passion for most artistic endeavors. I have a love for rehabbing furniture, interior design, and gardening. I have a fascination with astrology, Reiki, and yes, crystals. I promise I won’t do any chanting unless asked. Counseling is part of who I am and my deep love for the people in my life and their struggles brought me to this field. I am thankful for all of the challenges and growth it has afforded me over the years.