Sex & Couples Therapist
in Falls Church, VA
Meet Lauren
Specializing in individual and couples therapy for
intimacy, illness, and relationships
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You may have tried to talk about what you’re going through - how your relationship feels solid, yet your sex life feels disconnected, or how cancer, chronic illness, or treatment has changed your body, your relationship, or your sense of self. Maybe it was hard to put into words, or maybe the words came but didn’t fully capture what you’re experiencing. You might have left feeling like something important was still unspoken, or that you weren’t fully understood. That can feel isolating, especially when what you’re navigating is so personal.
Hi, I’m Lauren, a sex and couples therapist in Falls Church, VA, specializing in cancer and chronic illness. I work with individuals and couples navigating changes in intimacy, identity, and connection. In our work together, you don’t have to edit your experience, we create space for the full complexity of what you’re going through.
MY APPROACH
Sex & couples therapy in Falls Church, VA
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![Two people holding hands on a white table, one wearing a black ring and the other with a pink ring, in a close-up shot.]()
You notice that things don’t feel the way they used to. It may show up in your body, your relationship, your sexuality, or your sense of self. For many of the people I work with, cancer, chronic illness, or treatment has changed how intimacy, desire, or connection feel.Without rushing to fix anything, we take time to understand your experience and where the disconnection is showing up for you and in your relationships.
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As we work together, we explore what has shaped the way you relate to your body, your sexuality, and to those closest to you.That might include:
what you learned about intimacy growing up
how your body feels now
how illness, treatment, or life transitions have changed your experience of desire, connection, or closeness
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![Two women sitting on a red couch, engaging in a conversation, with large green potted plant and a framed picture on the wall behind them.]()
In session, this often looks like slowing down real moments. What happens when:
you try to reach for your partner
when you pull away
when something feels hard to say aloud
We begin to notice the patterns underneath:
the parts of you that protect
the emotions that feel overwhelming
the ways your body responds to closeness, stress, or vulnerability.
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![A woman with dark hair, wearing a white sleeveless top and blue jeans, is sitting by a window reading a spiral notebook with a blue pen in her hand.]()
From there, we begin to shift things gently and intentionally.
This may include:
strengthening communication
explore fear, shame, or past experiences
reconnecting with your body through mindfulness or body awareness
finding ways to experience intimacy that feel safer and more at ease
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When illness or major life changes are part of your story, this work also includes grief.
There are often losses that are hard to talk about:
the way your body used to feel
the ease of intimacy
the version of life you expected.
We make space for that, while also exploring what connection, closeness, and even pleasure can look like now.
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Over time, this work can help you:
feel more connected to yourself, your body, and your relationships
communicate more honestly and openly
deepen trust
experience intimacy that feels authentic and sustainable
About me
At work:
I have been a social worker for over a decade, spending my career supporting individuals and couples navigating chronic illness and the many changes that come with it. I truly love this work and feel deeply honored and privileged to support people through this challenging and transformational season of life.
Over time, I found myself especially drawn to the ways illness can impact intimacy, sexuality, identity, and relationships. These are areas that are often overlooked and underaddressed within the medical system. I find it so meaningful to support people in reconnecting with themselves, their bodies, and their relationships after so much has changed.
Outside of work:
I am originally from Michigan and have called the DMV home for a little over 10 years. I’m also a mom of two, along with a cat, a dog, and a couple of fish keeping life full and lively.
I love decorating and creating calming spaces, especially with plants, and recently started watercolor painting as a creative outlet and a way to slow down (when life allows!).
My clinical background
My clinical background is rooted in specialized training and over a decade of experience supporting individuals and couples navigating cancer, chronic illness, and the impact these experiences can have on intimacy, sexuality, and relationships. My work in medical and therapeutic settings, including the six years I spent as a Certified Oncology Social Worker (OSW-C), continues to shape how I support clients in making sense of changes in their body, identity, and connection to themselves and their partners.
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My training and licensure reflect a foundation in clinical social work, along with specialized education in sexual health and oncology care.
Master of Social Work, University of Michigan
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Virginia
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), Washington, DC
Post-graduate training in sex therapy and sex education, University of Michigan
Certified Oncology Social Worker (OSW-C), held for six years
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Before starting Kindroot Counseling, I worked in hospital systems, cancer centers, and healthcare settings, supporting individuals and couples navigating cancer, chronic illness, and the ways these experiences impact identity, intimacy, and relationships.
Key areas of experience:
Providing psychotherapy and clinical support within hospital and oncology settings
Supporting individuals and couples navigating the emotional and relational impact of cancer and chronic illness
Working with changes in identity, body image, and sexuality following diagnosis or treatment
Facilitating conversations around intimacy, desire, and connection in the context of illness
Collaborating within medical teams to support whole-person care
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My work focuses on the intersection of illness, intimacy, and relationships, supporting individuals and couples through deeply personal and often complex transitions.
Focus areas:
Sex therapy: navigating changes in desire, intimacy, and sexual connection
Couples therapy: strengthening communication, rebuilding connection, and deepening intimacy
Cancer and chronic illness: supporting the emotional, relational, and identity shifts that come with diagnosis and treatment
Women’s sexual health: including medically-induced menopause and changes related to treatment or life stage
Grief and loss: processing the visible and invisible losses that can come with illness and life transitions
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In addition to my clinical work, I provide education and consultation on the emotional, relational, and sexual impacts of cancer and chronic illness. I’ve been invited to share this work over 35 times at conferences, programs, and podcasts across the country, speaking to both professionals and individuals navigating these experiences.
Areas of focus:
Sexual health and intimacy in the context of cancer and chronic illness
The emotional and relational impact of illness on individuals and couples
Identity, body image, and medically-induced changes (including menopause)
Supporting communication, connection, and intimacy through treatment and survivorship
Through this work, I aim to bring greater understanding to topics that are often overlooked or difficult to talk about—particularly at the intersection of illness, intimacy, and identity.
Therapy services in Falls Church, VA
Is intimacy feeling more complicated? Your sexuality unfamiliar? Is there a growing distance between you and your partner(s)? Sex therapy supports you in understanding what’s changed, exploring where the disconnection is rooted, and rebuilding intimacy at a pace that feels safe.
Sex therapy
Noticing shifts in your body, mood, or sense of self? Navigating transitions like fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, or menopause after illness? Therapy creates room to process your experience, honor what you’re moving through, and reconnect with yourself along the way.
Therapy for
women’s sexual health
Looking for a supportive space to grow into your voice as a clinician? Wanting to deepen your confidence, clinical skills, and sense of direction?
Supervision offers a space for reflection, guidance, and growth—grounded in collaboration, curiosity, and authenticity.
LCSW supervision
Feeling stuck in patterns of distance and miscommunication? Longing for closeness but unsure how to reconnect? Couples therapy helps you slow down the cycle, build new ways of reaching one another, and create room for honest conversation and reconnection.
Couples therapy
Navigating a diagnosis, treatment, or life after illness? Feeling disconnected from your body, your identity, or your sense of normalcy? Therapy can help you make sense of what’s changed, process what you’ve been through, and reconnect with yourself.
Therapy for
chronic illness
Feeling the weight of a loss that’s hard to put into words? Changed by what’s happened and unsure how to move forward? Together, we’ll process your experience, honor what’s been lost, and begin moving forward in a way that feels meaningful to you.
Grief therapy
Ready to get started in sex and couples therapy in Falls Church, VA?
Book a free consultation with me
I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation as a chance for us to connect and confirm that working together feels like a good fit. Therapy can feel like a big step, so there’s no pressure and no expectation to have the “right” words. Wherever you are, I’ll meet you there.
→ Request a consultation
Schedule your first appointment
Toward the end of our call, we’ll talk through next steps for scheduling your first appointment. We’ll find a time that fits your schedule, and I’ll take care of getting everything set up.
Get the support you’re looking for
In our work together, we’ll draw from evidence-based approaches like IFS, ACT, CBT, the Gottman Method, and mindfulness, while tailoring the process to what feels most helpful for you. We’ll take time to understand what’s happening beneath the surface, create space for honest reflection, and begin finding ways of relating to yourself, your relationships, and your life that feel clear, connected, and supportive.
