We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Bochicchio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.

Lauren , appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

The best advice that anyone has ever given me came when I didn’t ask for it. It’s probably one of the few times that unsolicited advice was appreciated. I was in sixth grade and, of course, very focused on fitting in and being liked by my peers and since it was the early 2000s, I was also obsessed with Juicy Couture. I remember the most popular girl in school came in with the newest velour hoodie and I was overwhelmed with a jealousy that I had never quite felt before. I was telling my mom how unfair it was that she was both so cool and had this fabulous hoodie and she told me that “Anyone can have things. What’s far more important is who you are.” At the time, my immediate response was “no, I want the hoodie” but those words always stuck with me and created the foundation from which I developed my practice.

Lauren , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a clinician scientist and specialize in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic invalidation. I received my MSW and subsequently my PhD from Columbia University. During my MSW program at Columbia University, I did a subspecialized training program to learn how to implement dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in practice and have been practicing DBT and various other evidence based interventions ever since. However, when I started out my career as ad social worker at Clearview Treatment Programs in 2014, I was shocked by the lack of knowledge and intervention research to support the needs of LGBTQ+ folx. I ended up going back to school to learn how to conduct research and better support the community/engage LGBTQ+ individuals in treatment in an affirming way. I ended up doing just that and continue to work as a scientist at Columbia University to better understand how to adapt existing interventions to support LGBTQ+ folx.

I feel most proud of being a part of the recovery process for my clients, particularly when treating post-traumatic stress disorder. There is no better feeling than seeing someone find their life worth living in the work that we do.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Beyond anything, I think that passion for the work is the key to success. For me, I define success as feeling being able to do meaningful work and I believe that knowing what I am passionate about is critical to experiencing work as meaningful. In terms of my own career trajectory, I found that over the course of time that I became more and more passionate about treating the trauma that often preceded the presentation of psychiatric symptoms in my clients and as such, invested in continuing education and training to be able to offer more targeted trauma treatment to my clients. Based on my this experience, I believe strongly that knowing what your passion is and being aware of if/when your passion evolves over time is fundamental to finding success.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

This feels a little bit like cheating since my business partner also happens to be my life partner/husband. I actually met my husband on a dating app and his first introductory line was “I’m also a fan of Linehan.” Linehan is the treatment developer of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (one of the treatments that I offer). When I first met him, he was in his fourth year of medical school and about to start his psychiatry residency. At the time, the thought of starting a practice together felt very far away as he was only beginning his training and I was in the first year of my doctoral program but as we grew as clinicians together, it felt like the best decision possible. We not only share a life (primarily consisting of two poorly trained chihuahuas) but also a philosophy on how to support clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laurenbochicchio.com
• Instagram: empiricalinsights
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-bochicchio-1557029a
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/otc/id1717254624