Lauren Jenkins

Lauren Jenkins is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Empowerment Speaker, Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Advocate and Trainer.  Professionally, Lauren holds over 16 years of experience providing therapeutic support and interventions to youth and adults involved in the correctional/mental health systems.  She is a Certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer (Youth and Adult), and a Master Trainer in Adverse Childhood Experiences.  Lauren is the founder and owner of mental health wellness and training company called The Journey2Well  with the purpose to help people [re]discover the power that lies in their courage to become self-aware, to reclaim their narratives, and find power in telling their stories in order to live well, feel well, be well, and if in the helping profession, help well.  She serves on the board for the Life of Joy Foundation, holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Virginia and a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Personally, Lauren is also a person with a personal connection to this work, including her own journey with mental health challenges as well as lived experience with suicide loss and her own lived expereince with suicidality. It was after experiencing great loss and then a suicide attempt in 2012 that was the catalyst to her healing and then pursuit of professional and advocacy work in the mental health and suicide prevention spaces.  When Lauren is not providing therapy, or serving as an advocate and trainer, Lauren enjoys leading worship, singing, and songwriting.