Lauren Velez

My name is Lauren Velez, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. I work with adults and seniors, and I bring a deep, integrative approach to therapy that goes well beyond symptom management — into the kind of work that creates lasting change.

My primary areas of focus include anxiety, trauma, grief and bereavement, women's issues, and the mental health challenges that arise at the intersection of physical illness and disability. I also support clients navigating depression, chronic conditions, stress, and end of life — whether that means supporting someone facing their own mortality or helping a loved one through the experience of loss.

I draw on a rich and carefully developed therapeutic toolkit that includes body-based, relational, depth-oriented, and evidence-based approaches — because I believe that healing happens on multiple levels, and good therapy meets people at all of them.

My approach is integrative, relational, and grounded in the belief that the most meaningful therapeutic work engages not just the mind, but the body, the emotions, and the deeper patterns that shape how we move through the world.

Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) is one of the most transformative tools I use — a parts-based approach that helps clients access and heal the different aspects of themselves, including the inner critics, protectors, and wounded parts that often drive our most difficult patterns. IFS is particularly powerful for trauma, anxiety, and self-compassion work.

Somatic Therapy brings the body into the room — recognizing that trauma, grief, and chronic stress are held not just in thought, but in the nervous system and physical experience. Somatic approaches help clients process what words alone sometimes cannot reach.

Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) and Attachment Based Therapy address how early relational experiences shape the way we connect, feel, and regulate — and how those patterns can be shifted. Psychodynamic Therapy brings depth and insight to the unconscious dynamics that influence behavior and relationships.

I also draw on ACT, CBT, MBCT, Strength-Based Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and SFBT — allowing me to be directive and practical when that's what someone needs, and exploratory and relational when the work calls for depth.

For clients living with chronic illness, disability, or facing end of life, I bring both specialized knowledge and a profound respect for the complexity of those experiences. This is territory that deserves more than generic coping strategies — and I approach it accordingly.

In our first session, I want you to feel that you've arrived somewhere safe — somewhere that can hold whatever you bring.

We'll begin by talking about what's brought you in, what your experience has been like, and what you're hoping our work together might help you find or feel or become. I'll listen carefully, ask questions, and take time to understand not just your symptoms or circumstances, but your story.

For clients coming in around grief, end of life, or illness-related concerns, I understand that these conversations can carry enormous emotional weight. I hold space for that weight — without rushing past it or fixing what isn't meant to be fixed.

By the end of our first session, we'll have a beginning sense of each other and a direction for our work together. Therapy with me is not a one-size-fits-all process — the approach we take will be shaped by who you are and what you need. That conversation starts in session one.

Whatever has brought you here, I'm glad you came.