LGBT therapists in Renton, WA

Hello! I'm Lauren Salerno (she/her), a licensed mental health therapist in Washington! I am also trained in art therapy, and love to incorporate creativity into my work with people. My typical client is neurodivergent, creative, and looking for healthy coping skills to learn when to adapt and when to advocate for themselves. I work with adults 18+ and sometimes with groups. Nice to meet you!

Psychotherapy provides a safe place to discuss fears, thoughts, and difficult decisions we as humans must make during our journey in life. I believe we are capable of making life changes with the right tools. I am here to listen without judgement. I believe we all have a story to share. Being heard is one of the most important aspects of communication.

My passion is working with clients who have experienced some form of trauma in their lives. By sharing your story, we can begin to process the trauma from experience to a new understanding, while remaining in the present.

Do you feel like anxiety has taken over the driver’s seat? Or find yourself struggling to set the boundaries you need in your relationships? Do you wonder how past traumatic experiences might be showing up in the present, or find yourself feeling frustrated that they still affect you? Perhaps you’re wanting to explore who you are, and how to feel more fulfilled in life or navigate change?

If any (or all) of those resonate with you, I’m here to help.

I’m a science-based psychotherapist with a passion for working with clients in these areas and more.

I offer therapy for real humans, from a real human trained in the techniques that really work.

I enjoy working with adult individuals and couples, supporting them through relational challenges (such as miscommunication, attachment style differences, and parenting), life transitions (including retirement and career changes, divorce, or becoming parents), struggles with anxiety and depression, and identity exploration. I have a special passion for working with women and LGBTQ+ individuals.

I am a licensed mental health therapist; I have experience with a diverse, complex, and co-occurring clientele with a broad age range from adolescents to older adults.

I have 30 years of counseling experience as a Navy Chaplain, Parish Pastor and Marriage and Family Therapist. My passion is to be in service to others, especially those most in need of mental health services. I work work with ethnically diverse populations; as an LMFT I focus on the systems that my clients live in, including (but not limited to) family, school, friends, DSHS, the juvenile justice system and the criminal justice system, work, friendship groups.

I believe in our capacity to adapt, grow, love, grieve, overcome & thrive. Stressful events, trauma, loss, illness & change can overwhelm our ability to cope. We become stuck. We protect ourselves to avoid ever feeling that pain again. Solutions that once worked become part of the problem. When the wound is triggered, we experience pain & distorted ways of thinking. In therapy, we journey together to uncover & remove blocks to healing, transforming pain & loss into meaning, awareness & choice.