LAUREN PETKA, LPC | BOUTIQUE THERAPY IN TEXAS
Less performing. More authentic living.
I'm Lauren Petka, LPC, a certified EMDR therapist in Dallas specializing in anxiety, trauma, attachment and relationship patterns, and life transitions.
I work with adults who are ready to break the patterns that keep them stuck, stop shaping themselves around what everyone else needs, and feel at home being authentically who they are.
HOW I BECAME A THERAPIST
Therapy has shaped my life since I was a little girl. Growing up in Washington, D.C. as an only child in a single-parent household, I learned early what it meant to have a space where you could be honest, be seen, and slowly make sense of yourself. That feeling stayed with me.
After college, I moved to New York City and built a career in a completely different field. But riding the subway to work every day, surrounded by people carrying so much quietly, I couldn't shake the thought that I was meant to be a therapist. It never felt attainable, but I knew I had to find a way to make it happen.
Making that change was one of the scariest decisions I've ever made. It meant leaving a life I had worked so hard to build, in a city that taught me so much, and going back to Washington, D.C. for graduate school. But I followed my heart, earned my master's in counseling from George Washington University, got certified in EMDR therapy, and have worked in a variety of counseling settings and trauma-focused work.
In 2024, I opened Common Thread Counseling in Dallas. Today, I bring my own story into every session: what it's like to sit on the other side of the room, how hard it is to step into something new, and how much it matters to feel truly seen.
HOW I WORK
Therapy that meets you where you actually are.
I'm not a therapist who nods along and asks how that makes you feel. I'll tell you what I'm noticing as we explore, gently and honestly, because I think you deserve a real conversation, not a performance of one.
A lot of my work focuses on patterns: the ways you learned to stay safe, stay liked, or stay in control, and how those habits show up in your relationships today. We'll get curious about where they came from without blaming you for having them. When old experiences feel stuck in your body, we can use EMDR to help them finally settle.
Most of all, I want therapy to be the one place you don't have to edit yourself. You can show up tired, messy, or unsure. We'll start there.