Lauren Ivy Sieja, DSW, LCSW-S, earned her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) School of Social Work in December 2025. She earned her Master of Science in Social Work, with a concentration in Community and Administrative Leadership, from The University of Texas at Austin in 2014 and holds a B.A. in Sociology from Texas A&M University. She is licensed by the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-S; #59857) and is a board-approved clinical supervisor.

Beginning with her practicum in 2012, Lauren worked as a school social worker for eight years across several school districts, including Nacogdoches ISD. She valued school social work for its unique integration of clinical practice with individuals and groups, community outreach, policy development and implementation, and program design and evaluation. During this time, Lauren developed a strong commitment to facilitating the healing and growth of children and adolescents, particularly pre-teens, adolescents, and young adults.

Lauren has worked as a therapist in private practice for several years. She approaches therapy from a relational, trauma-responsive, and nonjudgmental framework, meeting clients where they are and centering the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for healing. She has worked with individuals across the lifespan experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, adjustment challenges, life transitions, grief, and trauma. Lauren specializes in working with adolescents, young adults, perinatal mothers, and stressed parents and caregivers. She has specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

In 2024, she transitioned into a public policy role supporting Medicaid policy development and implementation.

Lauren has also served as an Adjunct Professor at SFASU School of Social Work in the Master of Social Work program.  Through lectures, experiential activities, small group discussions, student presentations, and modeling of social work skills, Lauren’s focus is on helping students understand the real-world applications of what they learn. Within the context of the program and student learning outcomes, Lauren utilizes a constructivist learning approach to create a space where students can construct their own learning based on the goals they have for themselves as future social workers.
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Lauren is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Lauren currently serves as Board Chair for Better Together and is actively involved in establishing an anti-hunger coalition in Nacogdoches County. She previously served as the Region 7 Board Member for the NASW Texas Chapter and as an Advisory Board member for the Lone Star Victims Advocacy Project and Burke Systems of Care.

​Born and raised in Nacogdoches, Lauren was excited to move home in 2016. She loves eating chips and queso, enjoys being active outdoors, gardening, cooking, spending time with friends, watching TV, and savors the time she spends with her husband and three kids.