About
Dr. Lauren Thaxter
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Commonwealth of Virginia. Doctorate from the University of Mississippi, APA-accredited internship at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System.
Most of the people I work with are not in crisis. They are competent, high-functioning adults who have been carrying something for a long time and have gotten very good at carrying it — and who are starting to notice what that costs.
My training is in evidence-based treatment, and I use it. But I do not believe there is one protocol that fits everyone who walks in. What I do is figure out what is actually happening, tell you plainly what I think would help, and then do that work with you until it is done.
Background and training
Dr. Thaxter earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Mississippi, where her research explored the role of social support in individuals living with chronic pain. She completed her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship in Health Service Psychology at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System in Long Beach, California.
She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the Commonwealth of Virginia, license #0810009520.
How she works
Dr. Thaxter specializes in providing individual therapy to adults and adopts an integrative, evidence-based approach grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). She incorporates principles of positive psychology through a strengths-based lens and integrates cultural sensitivity and humility into her person-centered care.
She tailors her therapeutic approach to each client’s unique needs, values, and goals, and is experienced in treating a wide range of concerns including anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, and chronic pain. She is deeply committed to creating a collaborative and validating therapeutic space that supports growth, resilience, and healing.
More about who she works with → · How Cognitive Processing Therapy works →
A note on the name
Dèyè mòn, gen mòn is a Haitian proverb. Literally: behind mountains, there are mountains. In everyday Haitian speech it is usually said with some weariness — you solve one problem and the next one appears. English speakers may recognise it as an inspirational line; that reading came later, and it is not quite what the proverb means.
I chose it for the weary version. It is an accurate description of a life, and it is the honest frame for this work: the range does not end, and the useful question is not how to make it end but who you are on it.
Fifteen minutes, no charge, no commitment.
We talk about what brought you here and whether this is the right fit. If it isn’t, I will tell you and point you somewhere better.