Hi, my name is Francesca Lampugnani. I was born and raised in Milan, Italy and went to live in the United States during my 20s after meeting my soon to become husband in Seattle, Washington while attending a program at Evergreen State College for students of different nationalities. I have a B.A. degree from the University of Milan in sociology and political science and a Master’s degree in mental health counseling from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. I started my career as a counselor working in psychiatric and regular hospitals, therapeutic residential programs and have been counseling children and their families in a public school setting over twenty years. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a National Certified Counselor with a private practice in Orlando, Florida. I have been fully trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples and individuals for many years. I am also trained in Gestalt therapy.

My passion is centered around relationship issues from an attachment perspective. I believe that we are wired to seek out and attach to people around us that can provide comfort and security that we need to survive and thrive from the moment we are born until we leave this world. Based on this attachment we create our internal working models which is how we see ourselves and others. I think that we blossom when we discover how much we matter in someone else’s life and caretakers provide for our essential needs consistently and we create a safe and secure attachment. However we don’t all have this experience as children and some of us form our vision of the world around us as dangerous and see ourselves as unworthy and unlovable. I see my work as a therapist as an amazing opportunity to be a temporary attachment figure for my clients and create enough safety for them to experience their overwhelming emotions, embrace their vulnerability, take emotional risks and explore new possibilities. My job is just to provide relational conditions in which natural healing can take place. I believe that the therapeutic relationship can create a rewiring in the brain which allows for more tolerance of stress and increased emotional regulation. Within my work with couples in particular I help each partner feel their power of co-regulating each other’s emotions, understand how they get stuck in their negative cycle and how their protective strategies get in the way of fully connecting with each other and creating a secure base. It is so touching to witness my couples’ transformation as they first make sense of their moves within the cycle and then start having deeper conversations and become more accessible, responsive and emotionally engaged with each other.