Your primary Therapist

Lauren Dornell-Neal, LCMHC, LCPC, LCAS

About Us

Lauren’s diverse background spans multiple states and roles, providing her with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by individuals and communities. Raised on Long Island, New York, and in Burlington, Vermont, Lauren later moved to Washington, DC, where she worked as a proud civil servant in the Department of Justice. She held various positions within Intelligence and Law Enforcement, including Finance, Liaison Specialist, and Adjudications Officer. During this time, she graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Academy in Brunswick, GA, solidifying her commitment to public service.

Lauren pursued her education through both traditional and adult student paths, earning her Bachelor's degree in Human Relations (Psychology/Sociology) and a Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Trinity University, Washington, DC. She was also accepted into the Johns Hopkins University Community Counseling Certificate program, meeting the necessary credits for licensure.

Lauren’s professional journey in mental health began during her Master's internship at a Maryland-based women's substance abuse outpatient program. There, she facilitated Lifeskill and psychiatric integration groups and carried a client load. Her innovative work led her to develop a best-practice, evidence based community model aimed at enhancing community engagement of dually diagnosed adolescent students in a diverse community intensive outpatient program, based on her Master's capstone research. In a presentation to stakeholders, she demonstrated how the implemented program could be successfully integrated and add depth to the current treatment program, earning her a consulting role. Lauren worked with schools, community leaders, and activists to build partnerships and client-serving networks of support, enhancing students' sense of hope and community connection and improving outcomes.

As a full-time Mobile Therapist and Behavioral Specialist in rural Pennsylvania, Lauren provided mental health services to families, children, and schools. She also worked as a Clinical Specialist at The Pennsylvania State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, where she provided counseling to students and served as an Academic Adviser for the Smeal College of Business and the World Campus online adult education program.

After several years in community mental health, Lauren opened her private practice in Charlotte, NC, where she specialized in trauma-informed care. Her services extended to children, adults, couples, and families, addressing a wide range of issues, from mental illness to everyday challenges. She partnered with local organizations, including CMC Hospital and Charlotte Douglas Airport, and worked as a contractor offering clinical services to community agencies, collaborated with local specialists in coordinating care; provided critical incident response, and management referrals, smoking cessation programs and many other client and community services.

Lauren also served as a Military Family Life Counselor in various locations, including Charlotte, NC, Jacksonville, NC, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. In these roles, she provided counseling and consultation to military families, students, and schools, focusing on the unique challenges of the military lifestyle. She also coordinated events and initiatives to build community support and improve outcomes for families and students.

With a career spanning public service, private practice, and community-based initiatives, Lauren brings a wealth of experience and dedication to her work, always with a focus on improving the well-being of individuals and strengthening communities.

• I am straightforward without being harsh
• Encouraging without applying pressure 
• Respectful of who you are and your goals.
• I maintain family-friendly scheduling
• ​Sessions are characterized by authenticity, insight, compassion, humor and a firm belief that you have what it takes to get where you need to be. 

• Help you mobilize gifts, talents,  experiences, skills, abilities, strengths, knowledge, to enhance resilience to life's transitions.
• Provide trauma-informed care
• Support your change, at your pace. 
• ​Provide a confidentiality
• Facilitate you in healthy communication, interpersonal relationships, stress reduction, mood improvement.
• Provide useful tools for problem solving.
• To live out loud, fully and authentically so that extensive counseling education is supported by active experience using counseling research relating to: healthy communications, boundary setting, self-advocacy, addressing work/career "undiscussables" with dignity and pride; drawing lines between "nice" and "good," making healthy choices internally and externally.
• Dedicating myself to community health work, dispensing public health information and continued education and current treatment research.   

• Life Transitions
• Grief/Loss
• Trauma Treatment
• Military/Veterans and families
• EAP Specialist Clinical Affiliate
• Management Consultant
• SAP-DOT
• Certified Critical Incident Responder
• ​Addictions
• Managing Creative Blocks
• Gay and Lesbian issues
• Maternal community advocacy, well being, health (Full-spectrum doula services available through Doula Sol)
• Wellbeing/Healthy Lifestyle Coaching
• Parenting
• Couples
• Binge Eating Disorder and Pre Bariatric Counseling
• Career Counseling 
• Clinical Hypnosis
• Diversity and Inclusion Expert 
• Mentor for Counselors, Clinical Supervisor CADC 
• Maternal Health Community Worker
• Community Building/Social Justice Professonal 
• Community Well Being Projects
• Emotional Emancipation Group Facilitator (generational trauma) 
• Navigating the Challenges of Immigration/Second Generation Stress