JD, MA, LPC
S. Lauren Visconsi
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oregon and an attorney by training, with a practice focused on the intersection of family relationships, mental health, and the legal system. I work primarily with children, parents, and families navigating high-conflict separation and divorce, strained parent-child relationships, complex co-parenting dynamics, and other circumstances in which family and legal systems overlap.
My approach is thoughtful, practical, and grounded in an understanding that complex family problems rarely have simple explanations. I work to understand the larger family system—the relationships, histories, patterns, developmental needs, and external pressures affecting each family—while helping clients identify realistic ways to reduce conflict, strengthen relationships, and move forward.
My background in both law and clinical mental health gives me a unique perspective on court-involved family work. I understand the legal structures families are navigating while remaining focused on the relational and psychological factors that often sit beneath the conflict. Across my work, I strive to bring clarity, balance, and a child-centered perspective to families facing difficult transitions.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
I earned my law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and practiced law in both Washington and California. My legal work included high-conflict dissolution matters, mediation, child dependency, and guardian ad litem work, giving me early experience with families navigating significant conflict, changing relationships, and involvement with the court system.
Over time, I became increasingly interested in the psychological and relational dynamics underlying many of the disputes I encountered in legal practice. I returned to graduate school and earned my Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Fox University, allowing me to approach complex family matters from both a legal and clinical perspective.
Today, my practice focuses on court-involved and high-conflict family systems, including Parenting Coordination, Reunification Therapy, parent consultation and coaching, custody and parenting assessment, and individual and family therapy. My clinical approach is integrative and family-systems oriented, drawing from psychodynamic, strengths-based, solution-focused, and cognitive-behavioral approaches depending on the needs of the individual or family.
Areas of Practice
Providing specialized support for families navigating conflict, changing relationships, and the intersection of clinical and legal concerns.
Parent Coordination and Co-Parenting
Parenting Coordination, consultation, and structured support for parents navigating high conflict, communication difficulties, decision-making disputes, and challenging post-separation dynamics.
Parenting Consultation and Coaching
Individualized support for parents seeking to better understand family dynamics, strengthen parenting approaches, reduce conflict, and respond effectively to the needs of their children.
Parent-Child Relationships & Reunification
Reunification Therapy and other family interventions focused on understanding strained or disrupted parent-child relationships and supporting meaningful, developmentally appropriate repair.
Custody and Parenting Assessment
Bilateral custody evaluations, parent-child observations, and parenting assessment informed by clinical training, family systems, child development, and an understanding of the legal context surrounding families.
Areas of Expertise
High-Conflict Separation & Divorce
Complex Co-Parenting Dynamics
Parent-Child Relationship Disruption
Family Systems & Attachment
Court-Involved Family Matters
Conflict Resolution & Mediation
Professional Affiliations: Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC)
Connect with Lauren
If you have questions about my services or would like to explore whether working together may be a good fit, I invite you to get in touch.