LAUREN WAAG, LCSW
Primary Therapist, Athlete EDGE® at EDCare
Lauren is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Colorado. She earned her Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health. Prior to graduate school, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Providence College.
Throughout her career, Lauren has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including inpatient behavioral health, forensics, group practice, and private practice. She has experience working with both adolescents and adults across different stages of life in individual, family, and group therapy settings.
Lauren’s clinical approach is grounded in a strengths-based, humanistic perspective that views individuals within the context of their environments. She integrates several evidence-based modalities into her work, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Through these approaches, Lauren strives to foster growth and healing within a collaborative therapeutic relationship. She believes meaningful change occurs when clients feel safe enough to be vulnerable and share parts of themselves they may not reveal elsewhere.
In her current role as a Primary Therapist within the CORE and Athlete EDGE® programs at EDCare Denver, Lauren supports patients and their families as they move beyond the eating disorder and toward meaningful recovery. For individuals involved in sports, she emphasizes developing a compassionate relationship with the body by learning to move it gently, kindly, and with enjoyment. Lauren’s passion for eating disorder treatment is rooted in a deep belief in every person’s capacity to recover and, if they desire, return to the sport they love in a healthy and sustainable way.
Beyond eating disorder treatment, Lauren is especially passionate about supporting the mental health of LGBTQ+ adolescents and adults. Outside of the office, she enjoys crafting, engaging in joyful movement such as running or skiing, and spending time with her animals and friends.