Therapy that meets you where you are—and honors all that you carry
Dr. Lauren Leone, DAT, LMHC, ATR-BC
Online therapy in Somerville and all of Massachusetts.
Specializing in art therapy, EMDR, mindfulness, and somatic (body-based) practices for adults navigating anxiety, depression, chronic illness, caregiving, and burnout.
You’re carrying a lot—often, more than anyone else realizes. You think deeply, feel intensely, and care hard.
That depth is part of what makes you you, but it can be exhausting to keep pushing through in a world that rarely makes space for your full experience.
You're ready for a therapist who truly sees you.
Hi, I’m Lauren.
I’m a licensed mental health counselor and a board-certified, registered art therapist with over 18 years of experience supporting people who care deeply—about their loved ones, their communities, and the world—in finding steadiness, clarity, and connection, even in the midst of hard realities. My practice is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, identity-affirming, and anti-oppressive.
Together, we’ll focus on your strengths, explore how personal, cultural, and systemic factors shape your experience, and honor both individual healing and the importance of community connection and collective liberation. I strive to create a space where you don’t have to explain or justify who you are—where all facets of your identity and experience are affirmed and welcomed. Whether I’m working one-on-one in therapy, facilitating a support group, or offering a workshop, I aim to provide a collaborative and justice-oriented space for healing, growth, and transformation.
Therapy can be a place to rest, reflect, and reconnect with yourself and what matters most to you—without having to justify or perform.
Therapy with me is…
Creative and integrated
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In addition to talking, we can incorporate creative and “bottom-up” approaches like art making, EMDR, breath work, or other somatic tools to help you shift from thinking to feeling, tap into your nervous system, and develop skills to feel safe in your body. If you could think your way out of your struggles, you would have done it by now. And the truth is that often talking isn’t enough.
Collaborative and flexible
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I come with a plan, not an agenda. Although I bring my knowledge, expertise, and background, you are the expert on your life and experiences. We’ll work together to identify your priorities and our work will be tailored to your unique needs, at your unique pace. Depending on what feels most helpful each time we meet—whether it’s space to reflect, tools to cope, or support in taking action—we’ll adapt our work accordingly.
Grounded in liberation
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Some therapy approaches tend to be so focused on internal experience to the exclusion of the external world. But the social and cultural and political world is an essential part of our psychological experience. Together, we’ll bring the external world into the therapy room by naming the systems impacting your life, and work toward growth and transformation that honors your body, identity, and lived experience and connects you to community.
Real and relational
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Therapy with me is interactive, warm, and honest. I’m not a blank slate and you won’t find me nodding and murmuring “say more…” I’ll be fully present with you—offering gentle accountability, a little humor, and a lot of care. I also bring lived experience: as someone with chronic illness, someone who’s navigated anxiety and trauma, and someone engaged in community organizing—so you can feel confident I’m not just talking the talk, but walking the walk.
Specialties
Therapy for Caregivers
Modalities
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Art therapy uses the creative process to support expression, insight, and transformation—especially when words fall short. Because it’s sensory and body-based, artmaking can help soothe the nervous system, release tension, and access feelings that are hard to articulate. It’s especially helpful for folks who tend to overthink or intellectualize, and for those navigating trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress. You don’t need to consider yourself an artist or have any specific skills or “talent” to explore art therapy as part of our work together, just a willingness to be curious. I have extensive experience integrating art therapy in ways that feel supportive and accessible, helping you connect more deeply with yourself and envision new possibilities.
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based approach that helps the brain process and heal from overwhelming or distressing experiences. It’s grounded in the idea that—just as our bodies know how to heal from physical wounds—our minds can recover from emotional pain, especially when given the right support. I integrate EMDR in a paced, supportive way to help clients navigate trauma (including medical trauma), anxiety and panic, chronic health stressors, grief, and more. Whether you’re feeling stuck in old patterns or overwhelmed by current stress, EMDR can offer a way forward that’s both effective and empowering. You don’t have to relive traumatic memories for it to work—I’ll guide the process and help you stay grounded while your brain does the healing work.
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Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between your body and mind, helping you notice and work with the physical cues of stress, overwhelm, and painful experiences. Rather than just talking about what’s happening, we’ll gently tune into sensations, breath, posture, and movement to build awareness and support reconnecting to your body and mind. This approach is especially helpful if you feel disconnected from your body, struggle to identify what you’re feeling, or notice that talk therapy alone hasn’t been enough. We’ll move at your pace, using somatic tools to help you feel safer in your body and more grounded in your everyday life.
Education, Licensure, & Training
18+ years professional experience as a counselor and art therapist
Education:
Doctorate of Art Therapy, Mount Mary University
Master of Arts, Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a Specialization in Art Therapy, Lesley University
Bachelor of Arts, Tufts University
Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of the Museum of Fine Arts
Credentials:
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, MA #7553
Registered, Board-Certified Art Therapist, #11-008
Certifications & Training:
EMDR Basic Training I & II, EMDR Institute
EMDR Advanced Training in:
Treating Somatic Illness and Medical Treatment Trauma
Treatment of Chronic Pain and Persistent Physical Symptoms
Complex PTSD
Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) and Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy, Trauma-Informed Practices & Expressive Arts Therapy Institute
Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate Program, The Embody Lab
200-hour yoga teacher training, South Boston Yoga
My values & guiding principles
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Connection
Humans are social creatures; we learn about ourselves and each other by being in relationship. We heal in relationship too. Community is essential to our wellbeing, and an important part of my work is to support people in finding affirming community connections that celebrate their lived experience and identities. I also foster connection to self and others through the use of creativity.
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Creativity
Creativity supports healing and transformation, on personal and collective levels. Creative engagement is a generative process that allows us to envision, hold complexity, and even take deliberate action. We’re all inherently creative and tapping into this offers new ways of being and knowing ourselves and the world around us.
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Embodiment
Our bodies carry stories—of joy, pain, resilience, and survival—and they deserve to be part of the healing process. Somatic practices aren’t just self-care—they’re acts of resistance and reclamation. I believe healing isn’t just about insight; it’s about integration, and learning to listen to our bodies with compassion and care. Embodiment also deepens our capacity for connection with others.
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Accountbility
Cultural humility and accountability are central to my therapy practice and I’m committed to anti-racism, disability justice, fat activism, and LGBTQIA+ allyship. I’m conscientious of how my own privileges and positionality shape my perspective and work and I actively unlearn harmful beliefs practices within myself, and engage in abolitionist organizing to challenge carceral practices within the mental health system.
Work with me
Individual Therapy
Online psychotherapy, art therapy, and EMDR for adults managing anxiety, chronic illness and medical trauma, and a range of life transitions.
Workshops & Lectures
Online and in-person therapeutic art workshops; lectures on art therapy, craft, and activism for museums, universities, and academic conferences.
Chronic Illness Support Groups
Online arts-based support groups for adults with chronic health conditions and for caregivers of people with chronic illness.