Meet Our Team
Meet Dr. Lauren Cook
Dr. Lauren Cook is a licensed clinical psychologist based in the Pasadena community. She specializes in supporting clients going through life transitions, ranging from starting high school to starting a family. With her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy, she also enjoys practicing couples therapy and family therapy. She specifically practices third-wave tenets, including components of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (CBT, ACT, and DBT). She loves helping you identify the unhelpful thoughts that are preventing you from achieving your goals while helping you take meaningful action toward the life you want to live.
She also practices from a multiculturally-informed lens that considers the entire person and the systems that we operate within. Integrating an awareness of each of her clients’ intersecting identities is key when working together.
She began her training at UCLA, where she majored in Psychology and Communication Studies. She then earned her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California. It was during this time that she became trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy and learned how to help families and couples implement healthy communication strategies while building greater emotional closeness.
She went on to complete her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. Having worked at the University of Southern California’s Counseling Center, the University of San Diego’s Counseling Center, and the Claremont College Consortium, she specializes in supporting young adults from the teen years to the early 40s, though she enjoys working with people of all ages. As a new mom herself, she also loves supporting those going through the perinatal journey, from the trying-to-conceive season through postpartum and parenthood.
Her latest book, Generation Anxiety: A Millennial and Gen Z Guide to Staying Afloat in Uncertain Times is meant to be a helpful resource for readers who are struggling with anxiety or for those who want to support their loved ones with anxiety.
Dr. Cook loves living in the Pasadena community and resides with her husband, young son, and their Siamese cat, Mochi.
Dr. Lauren is a certified member of the American Psychological Association
Find Lauren Cook on mentalhealthmatch.com. Therapy is for everyone.
Meet Dr. Carissa Gustafson
Dr. Carissa Gustafson is a licensed clinical psychologist based in LA and sees clients online throughout the state of CA. She specializes in women’s and maternal mental health, working with high-achieving women who are struggling with things like stress, depression and anxiety.
After becoming a mother, she developed a special interest in perinatal mental health and sought advanced training and perinatal mental health certification (PMH-C) from Postpartum Support International.
As the author of Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 Weeks, she utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps people learn skills, such as mindfulness and compassion, to handle difficult thoughts and feelings so they can find freedom from suffering and engage in their life.
She strongly believes that no one is broken but is unconditionally whole and in possession of everything needed to build a meaningful life.
In addition to seeing clients, Dr. Gustafson has been an Adjunct Professor and served as an Adjunct Clinical Faculty at Pepperdine University, Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
She began her training at Santa Clara University where she majored in Psychology. She then earned her Master’s degree at Columbia University. She went on to complete her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University. She completed her internship at Santa Ana College and her postdoctoral fellowship at the VA.
When she is not working, you can find her meditating, practicing yoga, journaling, going on adventures with her husband and daughters or playing with her Pomeranian, Cupcake.
Dr. Carissa is a member of APA, Association for Contextual Behavior Science (ACBS), Postpartum Support International (PSI) and Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C).