LAUREN SCHIFFERDECKER has always loved Lake Forest. And she’s still having a hard time believing that she has founded a counseling center right in the heart of its downtown.

“We had so many clients coming to us from Lake Forest,” Schifferdecker says. “I finally said, ‘we should be going to them.’”

Last spring, Schifferdecker—a married mother of two and a former public relations executive—opened the third Inspire Counseling Center, her newest offering after successful launches in Northfield and Kenilworth. Schifferdecker, who knows the power of therapy, wanted to bring its benefits to others.

“We’re really standing of the shoulders of the people who came before and helped knock down many of the stigmas surrounding mental health,” she says. “There is a much better understanding today that taking care of your mental wellbeing is just as important as taking care of your physical wellbeing.”

Inspire Counseling is a full-service counseling center. Its certified therapists are trained to provide services across a wide range of topics for all members of a family. When one calls Inspire, a client navigator points you in the right direction of the therapist who has the most expertise in the subjects you’d like to cover. Inspire accepts most insurance.

“I see Inspire as a nest,” she says. “Whatever bird flies in first is often the first one we take care of. But that bird rarely comes alone—it might have a mama or grandma, or a sibling with them. Inspire is prepared to take care of whomever comes to our nest, whenever they’re ready. You can stay as long as you want and return for visits even after you fly away.”

Schifferdecker chose the name for her counseling center intentionally. “I still have the list of names I was considering on my phone,” she says. “But there is something positive and hopeful about the word ‘inspire’ and that’s exactly how I want our clients to feel.”

Her belief in what Inspire is doing was validated when she decided to open her Kenilworth office during the height of the pandemic. “We decided to take a risk and open a new space when others mostly chose to provide services online,” she says. “We opened Kenilworth in June 2020. We were careful and invited our clients to see us in person if they were comfortable. And you know what? They came. Especially the kids. They appreciated the privacy our offices provided and they preferred to be off of their screens. This really motivated me to keep going and try to reach as many as we could.”

When you are a guest at Inspire, Schifferdecker wants you to feel safe, cared for, and valued—from your first call to your last appointment. From the spa-like music and decor to the warmth and excellent care from each therapist—t is all designed to create a healing place to thrive.

To make sure each guest receives the most excellent experience, Schifferdecker is committed to making sure each therapist loves their job. She invests in the staff with an abundance of support, beautiful space, connection, generous compensation, and fun. These things have allowed her to create a team of the highest caliber of counselors for the community.

In addition to overseeing Inspire, Schifferdecker is a professional speaker, including giving a TEDx talk. She has been invited to several businesses, leadership, networking, moms’ groups, and churches to share clinical tools and research and inspire change in the communities she loves.

When asked if she can see opening another office in the future, Schifferdecker knows better than to say never. But for now, her plate feels full and she’s committed to delivering the highest quality services through her current locations. But she does have one dream she’d like to see come true later this year.

“I’d love to add a psychiatrist to our team,” she says. “Can you imagine the even bigger difference we could make if we had our very own in-house?”

There is more to come from Inspire Counseling Centers for sure.

To learn more about Inspire or to find out how you can make an appointment, visit inspirecounselingcenter.com.