Lauren J. Brunner, LCSW

Meet Your Therapist: Lauren J. Brunner, LCSW Do you long for balance amid this chaotic world? Do you struggle in managing your relationships, work, and emotional and/or physical health? My approach cultivates empowerment through compassionate support. I begin by learning about you and your worldview. I believe that you are the expert of your life and that within you, resides the inherent capacity to find your way through the most difficult of circumstances. It is my perspective that we often just need a bit of assistance in cultivating that path. My role as a therapist is to help facilitate the growth and change process by developing a relationship in the context of a nurturing and supportive environment. My Therapeutic Perspective: We simply cannot escape the painful circumstances that are a part of the human condition. In fact, most of us have already tried — through gambling and technology, through food or the restriction of food, through drugs and alcohol, through sex and codependency, through work and shopping, through obsession; and the futile attempts to control our experiences and feelings. My approach is integrated, and I work with clients on a variety of issues. I have received specialized and niche training in EMDR, DBT, and the Unified Protocol (UP) for transdiagnostic disorders. I believe in a holistic path to wellness that incorporates a variety of techniques (mindfulness, EMDR, CBT, EFT tapping, breath work) to help you heal. I work with many common clinical concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, grief, and adjustment challenges, while offering particular focus on high-functioning professionals, burnout, life transitions, perfectionism, boundary work, and values-aligned change. Niche population and diagnositic interests are described below. Special interest populations: ADHD ADHD in adulthood is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that can profoundly disrupt relationships, self-esteem, and emotional regulation. The outdated belief that ADHD is limited to childhood hyperactivity overlooks the reality that many adults silently struggle with impulsivity, chronic disorganization, emotional volatility, and a persistent sense of underachievement. These symptoms can erode confidence, strain social connections, and fuel cycles of shame and self-doubt. While medication can help sharpen focus and reduce distractibility, it’s not a cure-all. It doesn’t teach you how to manage emotional overwhelm, navigate interpersonal conflict, or build sustainable habits. By combining therapeutic strategies with self-awareness, adults with ADHD can move beyond survival mode and into a space of personal empowerment. You’re not broken—you’re wired differently, and with the right support, you can harness your strengths, rewrite your narrative, and thrive. Trauma and Substance Use Disorders I find an integrative approach translates well when working with those who have a history of substance abuse but feel their long-term Recovery needs a specialized approach. While I find great value in 12-step facilitation, I believe the Recovery community is also, woefully in need of trauma providers who are skilled in integrating alternative recovery models within a trauma-informed perspective. Here, I incorporate the underpinnings of secular Buddhism to reinforce models of care that are based on the development of insight, mindful awareness, deep compassion, and radical acceptance. Emerging Adulthood & Identity Development Young adulthood is a uniquely sensitive, high-impact window—when identity, independence, and direction are being shaped in real time. Many in this generation seek therapy because they’re navigating unprecedented levels of comparison, performance pressure, and constant stimulation, while also valuing emotional literacy and wanting tools that actually work. This stage often carries heightened uncertainty and intensity, even for those who appear outwardly capable and high functioning. Therapy can help with anxiety, perfectionism, academic or career strain, evolving relationships, and the tension between personal values and external expectations. My approach integrates insight-oriented work with practical skill-building, tailored to each client’s goals and lived context. I offer a space that is both grounded and collaborative. Structured enough to support growth and accountability, while balancing warmth and attunement to foster genuine connection. The aim here is not only symptom relief, but the cultivation of clarity, resilience, and a steady internal foundation. Weight loss and Lifestyle Transformation: Goals for lifestyle transformation respond favorably to my integrated and balanced whole-health wellness approach. The advent and widespread use of semaglutide injections, bariatric surgery, and other medical interventions have offered the general population new avenues for dramatic weight loss. However, if we could all just "lose weight and be happier"- I think we would. Simply put, we know such wholehearted wellness transformation must include more than the achievement of a number on the scale, or inches lost on the waistline. The inner work must occur concurrent to the physical transformation It is my belief, that it is the things we tell ourselves—about ourselves—that has truly stood in the way of our self-revolution. Weight loss medications may be an adjunct, but they cannot be given the full credit of one's transformation. That work must come from within. As such, the process of evoking and sustaining such dramatic transformation on a whole-health level, demands that we that embrace a newfound life potential, and develop an entirely new way of being in the world. Age-Related Hormone Imbalance The emotional shifts that accompany perimenopause, menopause, or age-related testosterone decline are real and valid; often impacting mood, sleep, energy, and self-esteem. As a psychotherapist, I support men and women navigating the emotional and psychological impact of hormone fluctuations—changes that can trigger mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and a sense of disconnection from self. Therapy offers more than just a listening ear—it provides evidence-based tools, compassionate support, and a roadmap to rediscover balance and clarity. With therapy, you can learn to manage symptoms, strengthen your emotional resilience, and reconnect with your sense of purpose. This chapter of life isn’t just about change, it’s about transformation, and you deserve to navigate it with strength, support, and hope. Education: I received my Bachelor of Science from the Pennsylvania State University in 2010 where I focused my studies on human development across the lifespan. My master’s degree in clinical social work was obtained from The Ohio State University in 2012 where I graduated with high honors. With more than 15 years of extensive career experience as a psychotherapist and in the field of behavioral health, I have come to one solid conclusion: The path toward healing is not so much about becoming anything. Often, it is about unbecoming everything that isn’t you, so that you can be who you were truly meant to be in the first place. Final Thoughts: In our self-discovery comes the task of learning who we are, and who we want to be. And with that comes the need to acknowledge who we have been, and how we got that way. It would be my honor to walk that journey beside you.