Lauren Hales, LMHC, LPC

Lauren Hales is a licensed mental health counselor with 25 years of experience. She frames therapy around practical tools and clear steps so people can feel less overwhelmed and more capable. Lauren believes many struggles come from not having the right skills yet, not from a character flaw, and she meets people where they are with calm acceptance.

Lauren has worked in hospitals and private practice settings over the years. That experience has shaped how she blends methods to help rewrite unhelpful thinking patterns and process painful memories. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment-Based ideas, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused work as fit for each person.

In sessions she listens first, then teaches specific skills to manage emotions, reactions, and cravings. She often focuses on stress, anxiety, mood problems such as bipolar disorder, depression, and concerns around addiction. Other common areas she addresses include trauma and abuse, sleep and eating concerns, anger, relationship and communication problems, and self-esteem struggles.

Lauren also supports people facing isolation, impulsivity, dissociation, control issues, jealousy, and self-harm urges. Her style is practical and straightforward: learn a skill, practice it, and notice what changes. She encourages small, sustainable steps toward clearer thinking and steadier emotion.

To begin, Lauren asks about what matters most to the person and then tailors methods to their goals. She frames therapy as a partnership where teaching, practice, and gentle challenge build new habits and greater confidence.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Attachment-Based work focuses on how close relationships shape feeling safe and connected. Online sessions can use this approach to help people notice patterns in relationships and practice new ways of responding. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors to change mood and habits; it often uses short exercises and homework that fit well into remote sessions. Emotionally-Focused Therapy concentrates on understanding and expressing core emotions to improve how people relate to themselves and others, and it can be used in therapy conversations to deepen emotional clarity and repair patterns.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and what feels workable in day-to-day life. This means trying an approach, checking how it feels, and adjusting the plan together.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm available online options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people use tools like written worksheets or in-session screen sharing to practice new skills between appointments. Ask about current session options to see how remote work is arranged and what will best fit daily routines.