About Dr. Lauren Hunter

I'm Dr. Lauren Hunter, an existential psychotherapist and gerontologist, providing counseling services in Jefferson, New Orleans, River Ridge, and surrounding communities in Louisiana. I help adults navigate profound transitions: the grief of loss, the shifting ground of retirement, the anxiety of aging, the mystery of mortality, and the search for identity and meaning in later life.

My practice offers more than symptom relief. It is a sanctuary for those ready to slow down, look inward, and re-engage with what truly matters. Whether you’re mourning a loss, reckoning with the passage of time, or confronting questions long set aside, you are welcome here.

My Qualifications

I earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Mississippi, an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Loyola University New Orleans, and a PhD in Aging Studies from Tulane University. I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in Louisiana, with experience since 2019 specializing in aging, grief, existential anxiety, and life transitions. My practice is characterized by warmth, empathy, and a solid foundation in theory-driven approaches that focus on personal growth, radical acceptance, and meaning-making.

In addition to my private practice, I serve as an adjunct professor at Loyola University New Orleans, teaching the Study of Death and Dying in the MS in Counseling program. I am deeply passionate about my work and feel honored to accompany my clients on their path to healing and transformation.

Existential Therapy in a Nutshell

Existential psychotherapy isn’t surface-level therapy. It invites us to explore—not avoid—the profound realities of existence:

• Loss and grief

• Aging and retirement transitions

• Identity shifts in later adulthood

• Anxiety around meaning, death, change, and the unknown

Together, we don’t merely manage symptoms—we work relationally and actively to make meaning, cultivate resilience, and reclaim vitality. Sorrow, insight, humor, transformation — they all have a place in this space.

About You

You’re not broken — you’re becoming. Aging, grieving, changing — these are not pathologies to be fixed. They are thresholds to be honored. In a world that often fears aging and rushes past grief, this practice offers something different: A place where your experiences are met with clarity, compassion, and profound respect.

Begin your work toward meaning and renewal. If you’re seeking more than coping — if you long for a deeper way through aging, grief, and life transitions — I invite you to reach out.

Rates

Please visit my Psychology Today and Therapy Den profiles to learn more about the rates for my services.