Kozak Pediatric Therapy Services

Lauren holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) and a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development. She is a member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), and a professional member of the Canadian Association for Play Therapy (CAPT). 

Lauren has extensive experience supporting children, adolescents, parents, and families in various settings. Lauren draws from a variety of frameworks and practices, including Play Therapy, Sandtray Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Developmental Psychotherapy. She prides herself on developing playful, creative, and engaging strategies that are designed with each specific child in mind. Building upon each child’s and family’s natural strengths, Lauren creates an environment that feels welcoming and collaborative.

Lauren helps children better understand themselves and their feelings, learns what triggers their big emotions, and supports them in developing effective coping strategies. Equipped with increased self-awareness and tools for navigating their complex emotional worlds, children and teens are empowered to take risks, manage their reactions to difficult situations, and bounce back from challenging events.

Lauren also believes that parent involvement in the therapeutic process is invaluable. By offering guidance to caregivers that complements the work being done in their child’s sessions, she helps ensure that skills are nurtured outside of the office. Parents gain a new perspective on what their child is experiencing and learn how to best support their growth.

While she tailors her approach to fit the needs, personalities, and self-identified goals of the particular children and families she is working with, Lauren commonly supports those experiencing difficulty with anxiety, depression, self-esteem, perfectionism, emotion regulation, defiant behaviour, problem solving, attention, impulsivity, anger and irritability, and communication and social skills.

Lauren is a mother of 2 active boys. She loves to snowboard, craft, and is known to be a board game and puzzle master. When she is not in the office, she is likely spending quality time with her family or trying to catch up on sleep.