Lauren Osborne

I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of experience in community mental health, where I worked with clients navigating everything from acute crisis to everyday stress. Over the course of my career, I've led state-mandated divorce and co-parenting seminars, facilitated anger management groups, and supervised graduate-level MSW students — experience that's given me a deep, practical understanding of how people move through conflict, transition, and emotional overwhelm.

I bring a collaborative, down-to-earth approach to therapy. My background spans a wide range of populations and needs, and I've spent years working across agencies and systems, which means I understand how to help clients navigate not just their internal world, but the practical challenges life throws at them too. I also teach in the MSW program at the University of Georgia, — work that keeps me closely connected to the latest research and best practices in the field.

Whether you're working through a major life transition, relationship conflict, or the everyday weight of stress, I aim to create a space that feels honest, grounded, and genuinely supportive.

My therapeutic approach is rooted in humanistic psychology - building a relationship grounded in unconditional positive regard, respect for autonomy, and empathic understanding. To borrow from Carl Rogers, my question isn't how to fix or change someone. It's: how can I offer a relationship this person can use for their own growth - one that builds self-awareness, self-compassion, and genuine connection with others?

Within that foundation, I draw on ACT, CBT, and psychodynamic work depending on what's needed. I'm also trained in Brainspotting, which I bring in for clients drawn to a more body-based approach to processing trauma. Some sessions are practical — building tools to manage anxiety, work through a life transition, or interrupt an anger pattern. Others go deeper, looking at family-of-origin dynamics or long-standing patterns that keep resurfacing. I let the client's needs set the pace and direction, rather than forcing everything through one lens.

My specialty areas include anger management, anxiety, depression, work/life balance, life cycle transitions, family of origin dynamics, and trauma.

I treat the first three sessions as an assessment period - not just for me to understand your history and what's brought you to therapy, but for you to get a feel for whether working together feels right. Therapy is a relationship, and like any relationship, fit matters. If after those sessions it doesn't feel like the right match, I'll help you think through other options.

The first session itself is more structured than a typical one - I'll ask questions to understand your background and what you're hoping to get out of our work together. But it's also a chance for us to get a sense of each other beyond just information-gathering. We'll talk about your goals, and I'll share some initial thoughts on how I might approach the work, though that often takes shape more clearly as we go.

There's no pressure to have it all figured out from the start. Some clients come in with a clear issue in mind; others just know something feels off and want help naming it. Either is a fine place to begin.