Lauren Cripps

Mental Health Clinician with more than twenty years of experience supporting children, youth, adults, couples, and families across hospital, outpatient, residential, community, educational, and private practice settings. Specialized expertise in child and youth mental health, parenting and family relationships, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, neurodiversity, and life transitions. Extensive experience supporting individuals and families navigating adversity, injury, disability, rehabilitation, recovery and complex healthcare, education, and community service systems.

Work is informed by attachment, neurodevelopmental, and family-centred perspectives that recognize the importance of relationships, belonging, and emotional safety in fostering healing, growth, and resilience. Approach is grounded in Process-Based Therapy and draws from Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), strengths-based practice, family systems perspectives, and play-based and experiential approaches to healing.

Mental Health Clinician at Private Practice

(2025 – Present)

Provide psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families across a range of mental health, developmental, relational, and life transition concerns. Drawing from a process-based, neurobiologically informed, and relationship-centred framework, support clients in developing greater self-understanding, emotional regulation, psychological flexibility, resilience, and connection.

• Provide psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
• Support clients experiencing anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, parenting challenges, relationship concerns, neurodiversity, caregiver stress, and life transitions.
• Support clients navigating healthcare, education, child welfare, and community service systems.
• Utilize a process-based, relationship-centred approach informed by Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and family systems perspectives.
• Conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments, develop individualized treatment plans, and monitor client progress across the course of care.
• Prepare clinical documentation, treatment summaries, and professional reports to support continuity of care and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Utilize play-based, experiential, and relationship-centred interventions to support children, youth, parents, and families.
• Deliver both virtual and in-person psychotherapy services.
• Collaborate with families, schools, healthcare providers, and community partners to support client well-being and continuity of care.

Senior Consultant & Mental Health Systems Specialist at McLean Consulting Group

(2014 – Present)

Provide strategic consultation, educational systems development, and program design support across postsecondary, nonprofit, healthcare, and community sectors.

• Supported development and evaluation of trauma-informed youth and family programming across community and residential care settings.
• Facilitated staff training related to relational engagement, emotional regulation, mental health, crisis response, and culturally responsive care.
• Supported post-secondary and community organizations in strengthening learner engagement, accessibility, and integrated support systems.
• Collaborated with Children's Aid Society partner organizations, schools, healthcare organizations, and youth-serving agencies to strengthen continuity of care and youth support systems.
• Developed community-responsive programming grounded in relational, strengths-based, and culturally informed approaches.
• Provided mentorship, consultation, and reflective supervision to emerging professionals and interdisciplinary teams across healthcare, education, and community settings.
• Supported interdisciplinary teams in strengthening youth engagement, emotional safety, and family-centered care practices.
• Provided mentorship, supervision, and consultation to helping professionals supporting children and youth experiencing complex mental health and psychosocial challenges.

Faculty Member & Curriculum Leader at Brock University | Georgian College | Mohawk College | Canadore College | Humber College

(2014-09 – 2025-07)

Teach undergraduate and graduate courses related to mental health, educational psychology, helping relationships, wellness, and community-engaged practice across post-secondary environments.

• Designed and delivered accessible, student-centred learning experiences grounded in engagement, belonging, and inclusive educational practice.
• Supervised and mentored undergraduate and graduate students completing research, practicum, and professional development activities within health, mental health, and helping professions.
• Integrated experiential learning, reflective practice, and community-engaged approaches into curriculum and course design.
• Supported diverse learners through strengths-based, trauma-informed, and accessibility-focused pedagogical approaches.
• Mentored and supervised students across academic, practicum, and experiential learning environments.
• Developed competency-based curricula aligned with professional standards, workforce development, and interdisciplinary practice.
• Collaborated with faculty, departments, and institutional partners to support educational innovation and learner success initiatives.

Executive Director & Professional Practice Lead at Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA)

(2020 – 2025)

Provide enterprise-level strategic and operational leadership for the national professional association representing Recreation Therapists and Recreation Therapy Assistants/Associates across Canada.

Interim Executive Director & Director of Education at National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association (NATOA)

(2024 – 2025)

Provided executive and educational leadership for a national Indigenous nonprofit organization supporting professional learning, governance education, and community capacity-building initiatives across Canada.

Mental Health Program & Research Lead at Niagara Catholic District School Board

(2018 – 2020)

Supported board-wide mental health and wellness initiatives focused on student engagement, resilience, belonging, and inclusive educational environments.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Applied Health Sciences – Brock University (2020-06)

Master of Arts (MA) in Applied Health Sciences – Brock University (2014-10)

Bachelor of Recreation and Leisure Studies (Honours) in Recreation Therapy – Brock University (2012-10)