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Meet the Owner & Clinical Director

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"What inspired me to create the Trauma-Informed Counseling Center is my passion to help those who have experienced significant and stressful life events."
Dr. Lauren Downey 
EdD, LPCC-S, ACS

Biography

Dr. Lauren E. Downey is a native of the Bluegrass state as she grew up in Radcliff, Kentucky. Dr. Downey’s immediate family has extensive military experience dating back to her late paternal grandfather who was a solider in both the Vietnam and Korean Wars.  That said, Dr. Downey’s families’ military experiences in addition to her own traumatic life experiences has cultivated her passion and drive to become a trauma-informed provider in the field of clinical professional counseling. Upon completion of Dr. Downey’s high school diploma, Dr. Downey attended the University of Kentucky to obtain her undergraduate degree in Psychology. Dr. Downey went on to complete a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and a few short years later, Dr. Downey began to work toward her doctorate degree in Counselor Education and Supervision at Eastern Kentucky University. The qualitative research Dr. Downey’s dissertation focused on while at EKU was centered around employing foundational trauma-informed education and skills for master level practicum and internship students. Prior to the successful completion of her doctorate degree in Counselor Education and Supervision, Dr. Downey also began her own private practice titled the Trauma-Informed Counseling Center as known as TICC. Upon starting TICC, Dr. Downey has specialized in providing trauma-informed evidence-based professional clinical counseling to men, women, children, and families. Dr. Downey has been formally trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy. TICC has now been in practice for 4 years, Dr. Downey’s practice has begun to expand and currently TICC provides standard outpatient therapy, intensive outpatient therapy, and school-based therapy as well as group therapy to the students at Fayette County Public Schools. Dr. Downey’s overall mission with TICC has been to  provide access and offer trauma-informed counseling services for those who have experienced trauma(s).   

Community Activity

  • Partner of Kentucky Association of Professional African American Women (KAPAAW) and Presenter at KAPAAW's Therapy for Black Girls workshops (2021, 2022)

  • Presenter at the 2021 Black Mental Health Symposium: "The Depths of Community Mental Health: Empowering Black People through Trauma-Informed Counseling"

  • Speaker at the 2022 Black Male Working Academy (BMWA) Conference: "The Real Trauma Our Students Experience in the Classroom"

  • Business Sponsor of "Clarity to Coins" Charity Event, SoulFeast (2021) 

  • Presenter at the Southern Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Annual Conference (2022): "Employing Trauma-Informed Andragogy: A phenomenological study of graduate student lived experiences after taking a New Haven’s Cross-Cutting trauma course"

  • Co-Recipient with Dr. Brittany Gentry of the Partners for Youth GrassRoots Grant to support the delivery of a community-based prevention training program: "I.M.P.A.C.T: Implementing Mental health, Psychoeducation and Awareness on Community Trauma"

Media

Dr. Downey presents about race-based trauma experienced in the classroom by Black children.
Dr. Downey presents dissertation research, Southern Assoc. of Counselor Edu. & Supervision (SACES)
Dr. Downey speaks at the 2022 BMWA Conference
Dr. Downey presents at 2021 Black Mental Health Symposium
Dr. Downey attends a small business pop-up to raise awareness about trauma-informed therapy.
Dr. Downey presents at 2021 Therapy for Black Girls Workshop hosted by KAPAAW
Dr. Downey, as a business sponsor, attends with colleauges the 2021 Clarity to Coins event, hosted by SoulFeast.

Dr. Lauren Downey shares her vision of TICC as being a key treatment facility for multiculturally competent trauma-informed therapy within Central Kentucky.

Black Women Heal Too Platform

Black Women Heal Too logo which shows line-art of a woman's facial profile with a butterfly landing on her nose.

Dr. Downey created the Black Women Heal Too platform to support Black women in their exploration of a healing journey that captures their unique experiences. Dr. Downey provides a blog for reflections, guided meditations, as well as other resources for Black women.

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Drs. Downey and Gentry presents about trauma at Black Soil KY event Heal Over a Meal
Dr. Downey, guest on 89.3 FM In Conversation Podcast, discusses community violence
Dr. Downey presents Keynote Address at KAPAAW annual conference on "Loving Thyself from Within"
Dr. Downey was an expert panelist on Thick & Fabulous live broadcast event "He Said. She Said."

"There can be a delayed onset [of post-trauma symptoms]... and helping making the connections can be important for kids to understand... Broach the conversations with them..."

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