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First responders
Support for the cumulative stress, trauma exposure, hypervigilance, relationship strain, and burnout that can come with serving others. A space to set down the weight and reconnect with life beyond the role.
Explore support →Nature-informed counseling & wellness
Find your footing. Rediscover your strength.
Whole-person psychotherapy for adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, and life’s challenges. Alpengrow combines intentional, session-based clinical care and practical behavioral interventions with nature-informed options when they support your goals. Meet in person in the greater Missoula area, or connect virtually from Montana, Colorado, or Washington state.
In-person in greater Missoula, Montana · Virtual in Montana, Colorado, and Washington state
You belong here
Care for the people who carry a lot.
You may spend your days responding to emergencies, guiding others through wild places, or simply doing your best to keep moving while something inside feels heavy. You deserve a place where you don't have to perform, explain everything perfectly, or have it all figured out.
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Outdoor professionals
For guides, educators, search and rescue, conservation workers, athletes, and outdoor-industry professionals navigating seasonal demands, identity, pressure, and the complicated relationship between work and the outdoors.
Explore support →03
Adults seeking support
Thoughtful, collaborative therapy for anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, life transitions, and feeling disconnected from yourself or the things that once brought meaning.
Explore therapy →The Alpengrow approach
Clinical care with a whole-person perspective.
Therapy is active, collaborative work—grounded in your goals and attentive to the whole person.
Dedicated, session-based psychotherapy provides space to understand what you are experiencing, identify patterns, and practice behavioral strategies that can help reduce symptoms and improve day-to-day functioning. Depending on your needs, this may include coping skills, emotional regulation, behavioral activation, and other evidence-informed interventions within the therapist’s training and scope.
Nature-informed therapy is another resource Alpengrow can offer. Walk-and-talk sessions, grounding practices, and intentional connection with the natural world may complement clinical work when they fit your goals. The outdoors is an option—not a requirement or a substitute for skilled mental health care.
How therapy worksWays we can work together
Support shaped around your life.
There is no one-size-fits-all path. Together, we'll explore what you're experiencing and build an approach that fits your needs, preferences, and goals.
Nature-informed therapy
Outdoor and nature-based practices may complement therapy through mindful walking, sensory grounding, reflection, or connection with the natural environment when clinically appropriate and aligned with your goals.
Session-based psychotherapy
Intentional clinical sessions with collaborative goals and practical, evidence-informed behavioral interventions to support symptom reduction, coping, emotional regulation, and everyday change.
Trauma-informed approaches
Care may draw on EMDR, CBT/DBT-informed interventions, behavioral activation, and other approaches within the therapist's training and scope, based on your goals.
For first responders
You take care of others. You deserve support, too.
Repeated exposure to crisis, responsibility, and high-stakes decisions can follow you home. You may notice sleep changes, irritability, disconnection, anxiety, or memories that are hard to leave at work. You don't need to wait until things feel unmanageable to reach out.
Alpengrow offers a respectful, nonjudgmental space to work with the impact of the job, strengthen coping, and reconnect with the people and parts of life that matter outside the uniform.
Talk about getting support
For outdoor professionals
When the outdoors is your workplace, too.
A career built around the outdoors can be deeply meaningful—and demanding. Seasonal uncertainty, physical risk, long days, isolation, financial pressure, and the expectation to always love what you do can make it hard to notice when you need care.
Therapy can help you make space for the parts of the work that are rewarding and the parts that are hard. You don't have to choose between loving the outdoors and being honest about its impact on you.
Start a conversation
Meet your therapist
Guidance grounded in experience.
I'm Lauren, founder of Alpengrow Counseling & Wellness.
My work brings together clinical counseling, nature-informed practices, and a deep appreciation for the ways our environments shape how we feel. My professional background includes licensed clinical counseling, EMDR training, Mental Health First Aid instruction, wilderness medicine instruction, and wilderness first responder experience.
My mission is to help people explore, restore, and reconnect—in the outdoors when it is helpful, and in whatever setting best supports the work.
Please confirm the current wording of professional credentials, licenses, and training before publishing this section.
A clear place to begin
What getting started looks like.
Reaching out can feel like a big step. We'll keep the first one simple.
01 · Connect
Start with a conversation
Reach out by phone or email to request a complimentary 15-minute consultation.
02 · Get oriented
Talk through what you need
We'll discuss what brings you in, what you're hoping for, and whether Alpengrow feels like a good fit.
03 · Find your way
Build a thoughtful plan
If we decide to work together, we'll identify goals and discuss the setting and approach that make sense.
A few helpful details
Questions, answered.
Do I have to meet outdoors?
No. Outdoor sessions are one option, not a requirement. In-person therapy is available in the greater Missoula area, and virtual sessions are available to clients located in Montana, Colorado, and Washington state, subject to clinical fit and applicable telehealth requirements.
What if I don't know where to start?
That's okay. You don't need to arrive with the right words or a clear plan. The initial consultation is a chance to talk about what's happening and ask questions.
What happens if the weather is unsafe?
Outdoor sessions depend on conditions and safety. If weather or environmental conditions make meeting outside unsuitable, we'll discuss an alternative, reschedule, or use another agreed format.
Where are services available?
In-person therapy is available to adults in the greater Missoula area. Virtual sessions are available to clients located in Montana, Colorado, and Washington state. Services are provided only where the therapist is authorized to practice, and are subject to scheduling, clinical fit, and applicable telehealth requirements.
Do you offer a free consultation?
The practice currently offers a complimentary 15-minute initial consultation. Contact Alpengrow to arrange a time.
Is ecotherapy right for everyone?
Not every approach fits every person. We'll talk about your needs, preferences, accessibility, safety, and treatment goals before deciding whether nature-informed sessions are a good fit.
You don't have to wait until you feel ready to have it all figured out.
A first conversation can simply be a place to ask questions, share what has been weighing on you, and explore whether working together feels right.
Request a free 15-minute consultation