Elliott Manago-Lawler (she/her)

The path toward building a family is rarely a straight line. Whether you are navigating pregnancy and postpartum, fertility treatments, or the complex emotional landscape of the foster and adoption experience, this chapter brings immense vulnerability. For many, it surfaces unexpected mental health challenges, trauma, or grief. If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected, please know that you are not broken—and you don't have to carry this alone.

Trauma is anything that overwhelms us “too much, too fast,” leaving behind a wake of uncomfortable symptoms like being constantly on edge, reliving the event, avoidance, and nightmares. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) can help relieve these symptoms and rewrite the negative stories you have been telling yourself. You don’t have to face this alone. As a CPT-certified therapist, my role is to come alongside you and help untangle these thoughts so you can find your way through.

Navigating the unique journey of foster care and adoption can bring up complex feelings of loss, rejection, identity confusion, and a desire for control. You don’t have to carry these heavy emotions in isolation. Whether you are a formerly fostered individual, adoptee, transracial adoptee, foster parent, adoptive or kinship parent, we will create a gentle, supportive space to explore these challenges, strengthen your connections, and build a meaningful path toward healing.

Our earliest relationships form the blueprint for how we love and connect today. Attachment theory shows that if your childhood felt unpredictable, you might now struggle with relationship anxiety, fear of intimacy, or cycles of conflict. These patterns are not flaws; they are simply survival tools that no longer serve you. Together, we will gently explore your history, break stuck patterns, and build a secure, compassionate relationship with others—and yourself.

As a certified Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) therapist, I help you heal from trauma by addressing the thoughts keeping you stuck. Trauma often changes how we view ourselves and the world, leading to unhelpful stories of self-blame or danger. CPT is a structured, evidence-based approach that helps you evaluate and reframe these painful beliefs. Together, we will untangle these thoughts, reduce your PTSD symptoms, and help you safely reclaim your life.

Relational therapy focuses on the idea that our emotional well-being is deeply tied to our connections with others. Past relationships often shape how we navigate current ones, sometimes leaving us feeling isolated or misunderstood. In our sessions, we use our therapeutic relationship as a safe, real-time space to explore your patterns. Together, we will work to break down walls, improve communication, and build authentic, fulfilling connections that help you feel truly seen.