Approach to Therapy

Dr. Lauren Irigoyen has extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches and routinely uses Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness into her clinical work.  She approaches each patient with kindness and works collaboratively to develop an individualized treatment plan, where the work advances at a pace that is patient-driven. Dr. Irigoyen is comfortable utilizing a variety of interventions, tailoring treatment to meet each patient’s specific situation so they can best manage their own anxiety.  

Dr. Irigoyen believes in educating her patients, as well as their families, so that they have a better understanding of how anxiety works, what keeps anxiety going, and how to extinguish it.  Her goal is to empower patients to become their own therapist, so they can manage their anxiety and build a life they enjoy.

Experience and Training

Dr. Irigoyen earned her Bachelors degree from the University of Iowa and went on to earn her Masters Degree and Doctorate of Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She completed her doctoral internship at a Wyoming-based private practice and post-doctoral work at Eastern Washington University.  Prior to joining The OCD & Anxiety Center, Dr. Irigoyen worked at Rogers Behavioral Health in Tampa, Florida, where she worked in Partial-Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient programs treating adolescents and adults with anxiety, eating, and mood disorders using CBT, ERP, and DBT.  She also worked at a private practice in a suburban Tampa, Florida community for several years, where she was one of the only clinicians in the area who provided exposure therapy and treatment for eating disorders. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she specializes in the use of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Irigoyen successfully treats OCD, PTSD, all types of anxiety-related disorders, as well as disorders that often co-occur with anxiety (ie. depression). She utilizes exposure-based therapy and provides treatment both in the office and in real-life situations. She often adds cognitive therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness as needed. She is a member of the International OCD Foundation, the American Psychological Association, the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science, the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association.

More About Lauren

Dr. Irigoyen is originally from the south Chicago suburbs. In her free time, she enjoys running, yoga, cooking, and spending time with her family.