Who is Dr. Lauren Cook?
Dr. Lauren Cook is a therapist, speaker, and author. She travels around the country sharing how we can cultivate a life in accordance with our values. Lauren is passionate about bringing mental health to people of all ages, as she recognizes that wellness continues throughout our lives.
Lauren integrates positive psychology, gratitude, and neuroscience into her work to inform her evidence-based teachings. She specifically practices third wave tenets (CBT, ACT, and DBT) to help her clients apply mindfulness and cognitive flexibility for intentional living.
Dr. Lauren Cook began her training at UCLA, where she majored in Psychology and Communication Studies. She then earned her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California. It was during this time that Lauren became trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy and learned how to help families and couples integrate healthy communication strategies while building greater emotional closeness.
Dr. Cook then completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. During her doctoral training, Lauren developed a specialty assessing for prodromal symptoms (or early-onset development) of various serious mental illnesses. She is passionate about lessening the stigma associated with mental illness and implements a recovery model and strengths-based approach for her clients and their families. She believes that any person, no matter what symptoms they are experiencing, deserves to live a meaningful and enriching life. Stigma should never get in the way.
Dr. Cook specializes in working with young adults. In particular, she has completed trainings at the University of Southern California’s Counseling Center as well as at the University of San Diego Counseling Center. She currently practices at the Claremont College Consortium for her postdoctoral training. Lauren practices from a multiculturally- informed lens that considers the entire person and the system that they operate within. From this conceptualization, Lauren has been able to help hundreds of clients as they move towards a life that is in alignment with their needs, goals, and desires.
Lauren also developed The Decision Principles so that clients can learn and apply mental health tenets from the comfort and convenience of home. With so many clients struggling to make decisions efficiently and effectively, Dr. Cook has developed a 10-module training guide to help clients learn how to practice values-based decision making.
Dr. Cook also created the Name Your Story mental health group training curriculum so that viewers can learn about not only the signs and symptoms of distress, but what they can do about them. This curriculum has been utilized on an individual level as well in groups with various universities and organizations so that thousands of participants can not only foster their own sense of wellbeing, but also support their peers as well.
Dr. Cook is also the author of two books. The Sunny Side Up: Celebrating Happiness and Name Your Story: How to Talk Openly about Mental Health are two additional resources that can be used to further personal and professional growth. With plenty of opportunities for self-reflection, these books are useful tools as readers develop insight into their growth areas.
Dr. Lauren Cook currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband. When she’s not working with clients, speaking around the country, or writing, she can be found on the tennis court or anywhere near a body of water. As an ardent animal lover, her favorite part of the day includes coming home to her Siamese cat, Mochi.
