Mission Valley, Telehealth
Lauryn Plush
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Availability
Monday - Thursday, day and evening
License: LPCC
License No: LPCC# 16616
Rate
$190 per 50-minute session
Areas of focus
- Couples and Individuals
- Dating and Modern Relationship Dynamics
- Friendship and Sense of Belonging
- Relationship Stress, Betrayals, and Trust
- Attachment Styles
- Boundary Setting
- Identity and Family of Origin
- Communication Issues
- Conflict Resolution
- Life Transitions & Discernment
- Academic and Early-Career Stress
- Anxiety
- Words to Emotions
Therapist Trainings
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship
- EFT Triage Conference – Helping relationships repair from betrayals, trauma, ruptures, and high conflict.
- Broken Bonds: Restoring the TRUST with EFT After Relational Betrayals
- Untangling the Storm: Navigating Emotional Reactivity in Couples: Gottman Method
- Psychological First Aid from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- Motivational Interviewing
- Counseling on Access to Lethal Means – Suicide Prevention Resource Center at EDC
- Preventing Suicide in Emergency Department Patients
Education
- UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO | San Diego, CA
Masters of Arts (M.A.)
Area of Specialization: Clinical Mental Health Counseling - WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY | Pullman, WA Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Double Major: Psychology and Human Development
Biography
My name is Lauryn, and I want to support and help you on your unique journey to feeling empowered and navigating your relationships. Love is an essential primary need for humans, and my goal is to guide clients throughout their journey in finding that connection, attachment, and sense of belonging in their life.
I am thrilled to be a part of the Estes Therapy team as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and work with both individuals and couples. I am a graduate of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the University of San Diego where much of my research was focused on friendships, relationships, and a sense of belonging. Before joining Estes I graduated from Washington State University with a double major in Psychology and Human Development and worked as a youth behavioral specialist intern. Here at Estes Therapy, I plan to continue training in the couple’s therapy realm and plan on specializing in couple’s therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) down the road.
I especially love working with couples, young adults, and college students navigating the unique pressures of this stage of life; dating and relationships, finding your footing away from home, building real friendships, and figuring out who you are outside of what your family or upbringing expected of you. My own research on friendship and belonging shapes a lot of this work; I think the relationships we build outside of family, such as partners, friends, and roommates, are just as central to feeling grounded as any other part of life
In my personal life, I enjoy doing yoga, exploring new coffee shops, and spending time outdoors. When outdoors, I love going to parks and beaches around San Diego, as well as being with friends and family any chance I get. If I am not outdoors or with friends, I am either in a hot yoga class or enjoying an iced latte at a unique local coffee shop.
Lauryn Plush has completed the National Counselor Examination (NCE) for LPCC Licensure, and is Licensed in the states of California and Washington.
Supporting Clients Through Life Transitions
Lauryn Plush helps clients navigate major life transitions, like a breakup, a career change, or a shifting sense of identity.
Some common life transitions she works with:
- “I don’t feel like myself after having a baby.”
- “How can I get over a breakup fast?” or “Why does this breakup hurt so much?”
- “I hate my job but scared to leave.”
- “I am so burnt out!”
Her counseling sessions draw from her background in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and how belonging shapes our sense of self during periods of change. So if you are looking for how to cope with a breakup or feeling stuck in your career, Lauryn is the therapist to help equip you to find a steady footing again.
She also has training using Gottman Method for Couples Counseling.
Get to Know Marriage Therapist Lauryn Plush
When did you decide to go into Clinical Mental Health Counseling?
I decided to go into the counseling and therapy profession, specifically working with couples and families, because I want to support and help others on their unique journey to feeling empowered and finding secure connections in their lives. Relationships come in multiple forms, and no two relationships are the same. We are constantly surrounded, impacted, and influenced by the relationships around us. For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in learning about human connection and relationships. I am intrigued by all elements of relationships, whether it be the evolution, dissolution, obstacles, conflicts, or healthy and secure moments. As humans, a sense of belonging is a part of our basic needs and my goal is to guide clients throughout their journey in finding that connection, attachment, and sense of belonging in their life.
Do you have advice for someone who is considering counseling?
If you are considering counseling, my advice is first to take a moment and feel proud of yourself. You have made a positive first step on a journey that will lead you to live a more enriching life. Feelings of discomfort may arise due to your vulnerability and willingness to engage in this process. Those feelings you may be experiencing are common and just know that you are showing great strength by taking steps to seek therapy. Know that no matter the direction of the session throughout this journey, I will be there to support you, and I would be honored to be by your side.
What would you say to someone who is nervous about setting up their first counseling session with you?
It is normal to feel nervous or anxious before your first therapy session. If you are nervous about setting up your first counseling session, know that it is a safe place for you to talk and I will be there to support you and do my best to understand you. I will take the time necessary to get to know you and allow you to get to know me as well. Together we can build a strong foundation and I look forward to seeing what progress we can make in your life through this journey.
Is there a special area you focus on within the therapy field?
I am passionate about working with couples and individuals because I believe that everyone is unique, but all experience a similar desire to have a connection with others. Everyone is different, and each person has their own experiences that have made them who they are today. Love is an essential primary need for humans, and I want to help others rekindle and discover those meaningful relationships in their life. I believe that with the tools and skills learned, individuals can experience wonderful relationships and full lives.
How do you pass your time when you are not working with clients?
In my personal life, I enjoy doing yoga, exploring new coffee shops, and spending time outdoors. When outdoors, I love going to parks and beaches around San Diego, as well as being with friends and family any chance I get. If I am not outdoors or with friends, I am either in a hot yoga class or enjoying an iced latte at a unique local coffee shop. Another favorite thing I love to do is explore antique and second-hand shops, where I enjoy looking at unique artwork and cookbooks.
If you were not a therapist, what would you be doing?
If I were not a therapist, I would be traveling the world as a flight attendant. After studying abroad in 2018, I developed a strong love for traveling and meeting people from all over the world. As a flight attendant, I would spend my days meeting people on flights and then spend my time exploring new cities and countries any chance I had.
FAQ with Lauryn Plush, LPCC
Cost & Insurance
My counseling sessions are typically 50-minutes long and cost $190 for individuals and couples. Some couples book 1.5-hour sessions to give plenty of time to address more difficult or sensitive topics, which costs $285 per session. For families, sessions cost $210 for 50-minute sessions.
A large percentage of insurance plans do not cover couples counseling in the mental health section. If you are looking to use your insurance to cover couples counseling, I highly recommend reaching out to them to determine what you have coverage for. And if you do have mental health coverage, find out what type of diagnosis will be covered. For couples counseling, insurance might require one person to be the "identified patient” and all counseling focused on that one diagnosis. In our couples counseling, we look at the bigger picture of how the couple’s bond and communication started to break down, how each person’s reactions impacted the relationship, and what it will take for healing in the relationship. By only focusing on one person, it can actually hurt the relationship more. This is why I don’t take insurance for couples counseling and highly recommend focusing on getting to the deep-rooted issues, not putting a bandaid on it.
I don't accept insurance, but our office can provide a superbill. It is a receipt with the coding and diagnosis your insurance needs, and you can submit for possible reimbursement. Some plans reimburse a portion of out-of-network therapy, and some don't, so it's worth calling your insurance to ask before we start. Some insurance plans don’t cover mental health services, so make sure you understand your coverage.
Yes. I have a few low-fee slots, so if cost is the main barrier, it's worth calling our office to ask what's currently available. My lower fee slots may or may not be full. So give our clinical administrator a call. My current rate on the website reflects my licensure as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, which took over 3,000 clinical hours.
Availability & Counseling Experience
I see clients both in-person and online. I work with clients in-person in Mission Valley in San Diego, and I also offer telehealth counseling sessions for anyone located in California and Washington who prefers or needs to meet virtually. I am fully licensed in both California and Washington.
I am in the office Mondays through Thursdays, with both daytime and evening appointments available. I work with various clients and I try to open up my schedule to make it easy for everyone. The mix of day and evening appointments works best to meet my working professional clients and family-focused clients.
Sessions are 50 minutes; however, we can always book longer times if needed. I have 1.5-hour sessions and 2-hour sessions for addressing the more painful or difficult topics. Meeting weekly is common in the beginning stages of therapy, but we can talk through what frequency makes sense for your goals, finances, and schedule. Once there is stability and positive changes happening, we might extend the counseling sessions further out, such as every other week or once a month. It really depends on the goals, finances, and where you are in the process. My goal as a therapist is to make therapy fit your schedule and your goals.
Who I Work With
Both. I love working with couples and individuals. I have extensive training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples; you can see my trainings listed above, which means I have a roadmap for working with couples. Even though my training is highly focused on couples, it helps us learn how to also work with individuals. I keep in mind relational patterns and interactions and how it impacts my individual client. I often work with young professional adults and college students working through dating, friendships, identity, and the pressure of figuring out who they are outside their family's expectations.
Yes. At Estes Therapy, we are a proudly gay-owned, inclusive practice. My approach centers on attachment and connection. I have a lot of training and experience working with the queer LGBTQIA+ community and love it. I also work with couples in open relationships and ethical non-monogamy. The non-traditional structures are often misunderstood, but our training here at Estes Therapy helped me understand my clients in a deeper way.
I often work with the big life changes, such as dating, friendship struggles, new to parenthood, career changes, early-career stress, and discernment counseling. However, I also work specifically with couples facing betrayals and big relationship wounds that cause communication problems and a decrease in intimacy.
My Approach
EFT is an attachment-based approach to therapy that focuses on helping couples build a more secure, emotional bond between one another by understanding the root issues and helping improve communication. I've completed an EFT Externship along with many, many additional trainings in repairing trust after betrayal, infidelity, and attachment injuries. Plus, Estes Therapy's owner is the author of the book Help For High-Conflict Couples: Using Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Science of Attachment to Build Lasting Connections. She also provides training to our team on working with distressed couples and how to de-escalate and move into healing conversations.
Before we meet, you'll fill out an intake questionnaire (couples each complete their own). This will allow me to learn more about you and prepare for our first session. In the initial counseling session, I'll briefly walk you through confidentiality and how sessions work. Then, more importantly, we will dive into the issues that brought you to counseling. For the majority of the first session, I am asking a lot of questions to understand the background and how you (and your partner) handle conflict, reach for emotional closeness, and how you got to where you are. At the end of the first session, we will talk about goals for therapy, discuss “homework” (what to focus on between sessions), and then schedule the next session. Typically for couples, I will schedule an individual assessment after the initial session. This will allow us some time to discuss your experience in the relationship, your attachment and I can learn more about you and how you emotionally regulate and communicate during difficult times.
Both. While I especially love couples work, half my client caseload is working with individuals working through anxiety, identity, and family-of-origin issues on their own.
Both. I listen to the stories you share with me, along with paying attention to key words, phrases, and patterns. I ask very specific questions to guide the conversation and get to the root of the issue. I am very active in the session, pointing out negative patterns and unhealthy reactions, and providing strategies and resources to help you make the changes quickly and effectively. I am not a therapist who just simply listens and acts as a sounding board. I get in the trenches with you and explore ways out.
Starting Counseling: What to expect
You can book directly through my online scheduling page, or call our office and our clinical administrator, Kianna, can help set it up. I typically can get you in for therapy within that week.
Typically, you can schedule an appointment with me within the week. If you call on a Wednesday, expect to either schedule the next day or the next week since I work Monday through Thursday. If you need a same-day appointment, call our office at 619-558-0001 to see if I have a same-day appointment available. Sometimes, you can get in the same day.
I don't offer free consultations directly, but Estes Therapy's care coordinator offers a free 10-minute matching call to help sort that out before you book, so you're not guessing. You can call and talk to Kianna. She will help you figure out the best approach. If you start a session individually, you can always add your partner the next session if needed.
Yes. I am legally bound by confidentiality, so much that if I see you in public, I can’t come up and say hello. I try to protect confidentiality as best I can and will wait for you to say hello first. Your medical records are kept in a HIPAA-compliant system called Jane App, and telehealth sessions run on secure, encrypted platforms. What you share stays between us, with a few legal exceptions (like risk of harm or suspected abuse). One note for couples: since the relationship is the client, I can't sit on a secret disclosed individually that negatively affects the relationship. I'll support you in bringing it into a session together. If a partner discloses a secret and does not want to share it, we will put counseling on pause to avoid causing harm or unethical clinical practice. If you have a question about this, give our clinical administrator a call, and she can talk to you more about this.
