Meet the team
Lauren (Smith) Essex, MA, LMFT
therapist & Assistant Clinical Director
Lauren is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist offering therapy for adults and adolescents. The foundation of her practice includes meeting clients with empathy, warmth, and authenticity. Lauren’s goal is to offer a non-judgmental space for clients to begin the process of personal exploration and growth. She is dedicated to creating a safe, affirmative, and inclusive environment for individuals with unique lived experiences.
Lauren’s primary focus is on helping clients struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem, perfectionism, trauma, borderline personality disorder, and addiction. She uses evidence-based practices, including CBT and DBT, to teach skills that help challenge old thinking patterns and incorporate new tools to navigate life. Along with this, she incorporates a psychodynamic approach to help clients explore and gain insight around how the past impacts the present. At her core, Lauren is a humanistic therapist, focusing on developing a collaborative relationship that allows her clients to feel validated, respected, and honored in their own unique journey in life.
In addition to her client work, Lauren serves as Assistant Clinical Director at Forth Space. In this role, she helps ensure the practice maintains the highest standards of care, supports the team, and contributes to our collaborative, client-centered culture.
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
[California – LMFT 150475]
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M.A. in Clinical Psychology – Antioch University, Los Angeles
B.A. in Liberal Studies, Psychology – Antioch University, Los Angeles
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute
DBT for Substance Use Disorders – Behavioral Tech
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Foundational Training – Behavioral Tech
DBT with Reactive or High Conflict Couples – Centre for MindBody Health
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills – Behavioral Tech
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – UCLA
Fierce Self-Compassion Workshop – Insight LA
Implicit Human Motivation Study (Research Assistant) – Barnard College
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Group Facilitator – Carrara Treatment
Crisis Resource Associate – Center for the Study of Young People in Groups, Cedars-Sinai
Marriage & Family Therapist Trainee – The Center for Professional Counseling
Resident Advisor – Transcend Recovery Community