Couples Therapist in Falls Church, VA

Therapist in Falls Church, VA

Lauren Broschak
LCSW, LICSW

I’m a licensed clinical social worker and certified oncology social worker who has spent over a decade supporting individuals and families navigating cancer, medical transitions, and the deeply human changes that follow. Over time, I found myself increasingly drawn to the relational impact of these experiences, especially how illness and life transitions reshape intimacy, identity, and connection within partnership.

Today, much of my work centers on couples navigating changes in desire, emotional closeness, sexual intimacy, and communication. I’m especially passionate about supporting partners who feel tender, disconnected, or unsure how to find their way back to one another after something significant has shifted.

I also continue to work closely with individuals navigating cancer, chronic illness, medically induced menopause, women’s health transitions, sexuality concerns, and young adulthood. Whether the shift is within you or between you, my goal is the same: to create a space that feels steady, compassionate, and collaborative.

My approach is eclectic and evidence-informed, drawing from relational, cognitive-behavioral, and mindfulness-based frameworks. More importantly, it is grounded in authenticity and connection. I believe therapy should feel human, not clinical or performative.

I’m LGBTQ+ affirming, sex-positive, kink-allied, and trauma-informed. I welcome clients of all identities, backgrounds, and relationship structures.

Wherever you are in your process — grieving, hopeful, uncertain, or somewhere in between — I will meet you with care, curiosity, and deep respect for your story. I would be honored to walk alongside you.

Signature of a therapist in Falls Church, VA

Who we are

At Kindroot Counseling, healing is less about “fixing” and more about reconnecting to yourself, your body, and the people you love. Whether you’re navigating the upheaval of illness, shifts in intimacy, the uncertainty of young adulthood, or the complexity of sexuality, I offer a grounded space to explore, grieve, grow, and simply be without pressure or judgment.

Why “Kindroot”? Because I believe healing begins with kindness: kindness to ourselves, our bodies, our histories, and our relationships. I think of therapy like soil: safe, nourishing, and imperfect. The roots in the Kindroot logo aren’t asymmetrical by accident. Like us, they stretch unevenly in many directions yet remain connected and growing.

Therapy in Falls Church, VA

Specialties

  • Love can feel complicated, but connection doesn't have to be out of reach.

    Sometimes life can quietly reshape closeness between partners. Whether a significant life change such as parenting, loss, illness, or a gradual change that naturally occurs over time, couples can begin to feel stuck in patterns of disconnection, distance, difficulty communicating, and pulling away from one another, unsure how to reconnect emotionally or physically.

    Intimacy occurs emotionally, physically, and sexually. In therapy, we slow down the patterns that keep you feeling disconnected, strengthen communication, and create space for honest, meaningful conversations that support deeper connection.

  • Differences in desire are one of the most common, and most painful, challenges couples face. When one partner wants sex more often than the other, it can create tension, rejection, pressure, or withdrawal. Over time, both partners may feel misunderstood or alone in the relationship.

    Desire is influenced by many factors, including stress, hormonal changes, medical treatments, trust, and the natural evolution of long-term partnership. In therapy, we move away from blame and toward understanding. Together, we explore what desire means for each of you, untangle the patterns that have developed, and build new ways of approaching intimacy that feel respectful, connecting, and sustainable for both partners.

  • Over time, couples can drift into patterns that feel frustrating, repetitive, or emotionally distant. Arguments may escalate quickly, conversations may shut down, or both partners may begin to feel unheard or unseen. Even without major conflict, relationships can start to feel more like coexisting than connecting.

    Therapy offers a space to slow down these cycles, understand the patterns that keep you stuck, and rebuild emotional safety. Together, we work toward clearer communication, greater empathy, and a renewed sense of partnership, especially during seasons of transition, stress, or recovery.

  • There’s no single roadmap for life with illness.

    Whether you’re newly diagnosed, in treatment, post-treatment, or supporting someone you love, grief, fear, isolation, and identity shifts can run deep. Illness can quietly reshape how you feel in your body, your relationships, and your sense of self.

    Therapy creates space for the whole experience — the parts you show others and the ones you carry privately. Healing here isn’t about “fixing.” It’s about connection: to yourself, to your body, and to what matters most.

  • Like seasons, every stage of womanhood brings change, and each one is worthy of care.

    Hormonal shifts, pregnancy and postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause can affect not only your body, but also your emotions, identity, relationships, and sense of self. These transitions can reshape how you experience intimacy, energy, and connection in ways that feel surprising or difficult to name.

    Therapy offers space to speak openly about these experiences, reduce the stigma that often surrounds them, and move through change with greater understanding and self-compassion.

  • For some, menopause does not arrive gradually.

    When it is brought on suddenly — through cancer treatment, surgery, or other medical interventions — the physical and emotional impact can feel abrupt and disorienting. Hot flashes, sleep disruption, joint pain, mood shifts, vaginal dryness, changes in libido, and sexual discomfort may emerge earlier than expected, reshaping your relationship with your body and your sense of identity.

    Beyond the physical symptoms, medically induced menopause can bring grief for fertility, for the body you once knew, or for how intimacy has changed. Therapy offers space to process these losses, navigate sexual and relationship shifts, and reconnect with yourself and your body.

  • You deserve a relationship with your body and sexuality that feels like home.

    Sexual wellbeing can be shaped by many factors including past experiences, cultural or religious messages, illness, pleasure, stress, shame, or simply the natural evolution of your life and relationships. You may be navigating pain, changes in desire, disconnection from your body, or uncertainty about what intimacy means to you now.

    I approach sex therapy with gentleness, curiosity, and zero judgment. We create space to explore your story, untangle shame, and move toward greater agency, pleasure, and connection in ways that feel authentic and sustainable.

  • Finding your way can feel messy, and that’s okay.

    Young adulthood often carries uncertainty, pressure, and unexpected turns. You may be navigating identity, relationships, anxiety, career decisions, or shifts in sexuality and independence. Sometimes the path you imagined looks different than the one unfolding.

    I offer space to slow down, make sense of who you are becoming, and reconnect with your values, your voice, and your sense of self. Together, we work toward building a life and relationships that feel rooted and aligned.

  • Grief doesn’t only follow death. It can emerge after illness, shifts in identity, changes in your body, relationship transitions, or the quiet realization that life looks different than you expected.

    Adjustment often takes longer, and feels more layered, than we anticipate. You may find yourself grieving the version of yourself, your relationship, or your future that once felt certain.

    Therapy offers space to honor what has been lost, make meaning of what has changed, and gently move toward a new sense of steadiness. There is no set timeline here, healing unfolds differently for everyone.