We specialize in working with clients who have had unsuccessful therapy experiences in the past where they felt like something was missing, or their primary issue did not truly resolve. While we would love to work with every person needing care, we are limited by man power and resources. That's why LK Institute trains therapists from all over the nation to use EMDR Therapy for those suffering with PTSD, Addiction, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Self-Harm, Dissociation, Grief and relational difficulties.
Finding freedom is Truly Possible
LK Institute has the mission of offering exceptional care to those struggling with complex and difficult issues. Our belief in the power of EMDR Therapy has been the foundation from which we developed our premise that finding freedom is TRULY possible.
Our Story
After years of working with complex cases, many of us felt that the best resources we had as therapists were merely attempts at symptom reduction. It was through our experiences with EMDR Psychotherapy that we began to witness the life changing breath that is available for so many.
The reward of journeying with those who have found lasting peace prompted our dedication to provide the best specialized therapeutic services, including the investment our company has made to train every therapist at LK Institute as an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Psychotherapist.
More than symptom management
EMDR Psychotherapy was developed by Francine Shapiro and is currently the most empirically supported trauma therapy with copious research illuminating the efficacy of it. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) was originally used primarily for treating psychological effects related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. With continued research, it has been discovered to successfully treat a variety of complex issues.
The theory informing EMDR relies on the neurobiological tenant that are experiences inform the way we feel about ourselves, others and our world. When painful experiences are not fully processed in the brain, we can feel stuck and find ourselves in recurring painful patterns. EMDR activates the part of the brain that is responsible for problem solving and reprocesses painful experience while decreasing the negative emotions and thoughts associated with them.
Our treatment approach operates from the belief that our abnormal behaviors, thoughts and feelings are an appropriate reaction to painful experiences. EMDR helps to clean out and clear out the painful experiences that cause problems in our current life.
What Is EMDR Psychotherapy?
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Dr. Lauren Kiser, the CEO and founder of LK Institute, has used her years of experience in various treatment settings to learn what is effective and what is not in the therapeutic arena. She is a firm believer that therapy is not merely about coping, but about getting to the root of the issue. As a result of dealing with the core issues that we each have, our symptoms by default begin to shift as our inner peace, self-esteem, and internal freedom become the primary condition. Lauren is known for treating complex cases and many therapists across the nation pursue the opportunity to study under her knowledge base to find solutions for problems that might seem unsolvable.
Meet Our Owner, Lauren
Lauren held a strong passion to create a place where therapists could thrive and pursue their clinical interests to become the best advanced therapists possible.
She dreamed of creating a facility where people would find therapy that worked to truly resolve underlying core issues, as opposed to just learning how to cope or manage negative experiences and patterns.
Why Create LK Institute?
The practice was growing quicker than expected and Aaron, Lauren’s husband, decided to quit his full time job (with all of its stability and financial support) to invest in making the dream of LK Institute a success. A month later, Lauren left the corporate world herself with the passion and dream of teaching and equipping therapists to help clients heal by replicating the success I had found with client treatment
June 2018
LK Institute hosted its first public EMDR Basic Training with 5 participants. Lauren still has a relationship with all of those participants today.
May 2018
Lauren hosted her first Basic Training open by invitation only in her own home. The next month, Lauren rented a TINY office space (literally the couch touched each wall) to start her private practice and found an itty bitty meeting room to host the first public EMDR BasicTraining. Lauren begged the Landlord to let her sign a 6 month lease because her savings account could not afford longer than that if the practice was not successful.
March 2018
Lauren and Aaron rented their first (TINY!) office in Flagstaff. Lauren and fellow LK Institute therapist Ann began seeing clients out of this office and both commuted from Phoenix to Flagstaff.
September 2020
Three different therapists had approached Lauren requesting to practice under her supervision and methods and became employees of LK Institute- something Lauren never initially planned on doing.
October 2018
LK signed a leased for its own office to hold more space for training. Aaron and Lauren had to list their house and vehicles as collateral if they were not able to pay the rent. But, they were determined to give it all they had and risk everything. This office space only permitted 10 participants to attend, but had a couple of office spaces. They pulled many all nighters to get the space ready for its second public EMDR Basic Training which consisted of 6 participants.
August 2018
LK Institute has a team of 13 professionals, and has provided counseling services to over 1700 clients. Lauren has personally trained over a thousand therapists to better help treat their clients find true healing. She speaks at international and local conferences by invitation and provides consultation to therapists across the world. Therapists seek out employment at LK Institute when they want to be a clinician who goes beyond the surface and does more than symptom management.
October 2024
LK Institute moved into the Central Phoenix location adding offices and having a significantly larger training space.
April 2022
LK Institute therapist Kali Kenar, who had been with LK Institute since 2019, stepped into the role of Clinical Director bringing additional expertise and specialization to the clinical program. This transition allowed Lauren to focus more energy on training and consultation.
September 2021
How LK Institute came about
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