Shaelene Lauriano
Shaelene Lauriano
MA, LPC, NCC, DBT-LBC Certified Clinician, RYT, ACS
Owner of DBT of South Jersey
She/Her/Hers
“Never compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got.”
—Janis Joplin
It’s easy to slip into self-sacrifice mode when you hold many roles. For myself, those different parts of me: the mom, wife, business owner, therapist, friend – all exist in relation to others. How do you hold yourself whole and maintain your sense of self when you are comprised of all these different pieces? How do you balance being a person who gives and bends while also ensuring you don’t compromise who you are at your core? These are some of the questions that I am here to help my clients find answers to in our work together.
The daunting task of turning inward to uncover, face, and reflect is one that comes with therapy. To be perfectly honest, it can be dark, heavy, and sometimes ugly. What many don’t realize is that after uncovering the muck, there is often something quite pure and light underneath. My goal is to help my clients get to this place. To find what is beneath the hurts, scars, anger, stress – and everything else – and help them finally realize who the hell they are. To see my clients come through this transformation of uncovering is truly empowering.
As of August 2017, I am proud to say that I am a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™ , and am one of a small group of clinicians that hold this certification in the state of New Jersey.
Therapy with me comes with over a decade of training and practice in the areas of treating emotions that feel unmanageable and manifest in ways that are problematic. I really love DBT, and I weave it into everything I do both personally and professionally. I feel the same way about the teachings of yoga and mindfulness. I specialize in helping women who struggle with all types of trauma and emotions that are causing issues everywhere in their life. Some of my favorite work is in providing therapy for business owners, entrepreneurs, and high-level leadership executives who feel they are being held back in some way, either personally or professionally. It’s easy for the lines of family life and work to become blurry when you run your own business, and I am genuinely happy to guide folks as they find their way through. Trust me, I can relate.
The end goal is for my clients to become their own therapist and hold the awareness of what’s beneath all they have uncovered in therapy. To help them get to a place of making decisions in life from a place of inner wisdom that they have cultivated during our time together. My overall style in therapy is one that’s genuine – meaning I’ll tell you what I see, honestly without much fluff, and I’ll believe in your capabilities when you are having a hard time doing so. This is why therapy exists, to have someone who can hold up an unbiased mirror and show you where you are at, understand where you have been, and help you get to where you are going. I appreciate real talk and laughs in sessions and may even use a meme or song lyric at times to make my point. If it works, it works. Right?!
As for myself personally and stuff I am into right now, I love going out to eat and watching a true crime documentary or reality show before my untimely 9:30 pm bedtime (I’m a mom to a small human, which I credit the early bedtime life to). I think taking really long walks, listening to good podcasts, and traveling are ways that I keep my own mental health in check, along with going to therapy, of course. I am lucky to have a great husband whom I both love and like, and I have two wiener dogs that I’ve had for quite some time (Lucy and Ralphy) and I love them so much it hurts.
I don’t often have open spaces on my schedule, but I really hope that if you think we are a perfect match, you’ll reach out anyway to see if I do. Also, in-person sessions are my preference (aren’t you over telehealth?)! Talk soon!
Ages: 18+
Counseling Location: Voorhees, New Jersey in Person; Online Counseling In New Jersey and Florida
Specialty Training + Certification: DBT-Linehan Board Certified, DBT Prolonged Exposure For Complex PTSD, Yoga For Trauma Provider, trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy
Mental Health Experience: PTSD, Eating Disorders, Suicidal Thinking, Self Harm, Addiction and Substance Abuse Counseling
Ideal Clients: Entrepreneurs, Trauma Recovery
