About Me

My name is Lauren Waikart (she/her), and I’m a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC/LPC) providing therapy to tweens, teens, adults, and their families in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Psychotherapy, for me, is a privilege—offering a rare space to connect with others in an honest and compassionate way. It’s truly the best work I know.

Approach

With nearly a decade of clinical experience—and a previous chapter serving in the military—I bring a grounded, compassionate, and curious presence to the therapy room. I specialize in treating trauma, anxiety, and eating disorders, and my work is rooted in a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and body-positive lens. My primary therapeutic approach is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), but I also incorporate elements of CBT, DBT, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), depending on each client’s unique needs.

My clinical style is deeply accepting and collaborative. I believe we’re all doing the best we can, even when our thoughts or behaviors feel misaligned with who we want to be. Our work together often involves gently uncovering the hidden functions of these patterns and learning to respond to them with curiosity rather than judgment. I'm particularly inspired by philosophies that explore how we find meaning or purpose in life—including Existentialism, Buddhism, and Stoicism—and often weave these ideas into my clinical work.

Areas of Expertise

• Trauma and PTSD

• Anxiety and depression

• Eating disorders and body image

• Relationship challenges

• Identity development

• Military, expat, and globally mobile individuals

• Life transitions and adjustment

Therapy for Military, Expat, and Globally Mobile Families

Before becoming a therapist, I served in the military, living and working in communities around the country, deploying to austere environments, and being far away from home.  That chapter of my life deeply informs how I understand resilience, disconnection, and the profound need for belonging—especially when you’re navigating things on your own. 

After undergoing my own career transition, my family and I relocated overseas again, this time within the context of the foreign service. While living abroad, I’ve supported globally mobile professionals and their families through chaotic and high-stress moments like emergency evacuations (Thanks COVID!) to the more mundane everyday micro-stresses that come from just existing in a foreign country. Even though I’m now back physically in the DMV, I continue to work with military families, expats, and internationally mobile clients as they navigate the emotional complexities of deployment, relocation, re-entry, and all that that entails.

Whether you’re preparing for another move, or trying to find stability after a major life change, I offer a supportive space to process your experiences and reconnect with what matters most. My approach integrates EMDR, ACT, CBT, parts work and somatic therapies. I provide in-person therapy in Maryland, and virtual counseling for clients in Virginia and Pennsylvania."

Training

• EMDR Basic Training + EMDRIA Summit Workshops

• Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy

• ACT for Trauma, Anxiety & Depression

• CBT for Depression, CPT Essentials

• Attachment and Dissociation Assessment & Treatment