Connect ~ Nourish ~ Heal ~ Grow ~ Be

Integrative and Preventive Mental Wellness

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Mission:

Heartwork Wellness Collaborative is a small, local mental health non-profit, located in Richmond, VA and formed in June of 2019, specializing in lifestyle interventions and integrative mental health. Our goal is to make high-quality services and information more accessible to people and to fill in "gaps" in care by offering a variety of wellness services, providing outreach and education about mental health, bridging mental and physical health through the provision of yoga and nutrition training, and building groups to bring people together to heal in a community. We aim to be a dynamic center that is continually attuned to ways we can further prioritize mental health and promote overall wellness in our community. By making these resources available, we hope to give people the options, motivation, and compassion to heal and thrive in the way that is most realistic and effective for them.

What are lifestyle interventions and integrative mental health?

Lifestyle interventions address behavioral changes that can be made with regard to managing nutrition, sleep, social support, stress, eating patterns, and physical movement. Our mental health is connected to all of these variables, and often real change to our emotional functioning cannot happen if we are chronically stressed, undernourished, or sleep deprived. By addressing the needs of the whole person, we seek to foster health in a deeper, more comprehensive way, instead of just applying a band-aid to symptoms. We look at the contributors of dis-ease and work with you to make small but measurable changes over time toward more optimal, holistic health.

Who might we see?

If you're human, you have mental health, and anyone can benefit from working on their mental health as much as we benefit from brushing our teeth every day (if not much more!) HWC is a generalist practice, and provides support for a number of human struggles including anxiety, depression, life stress, and relationships. We work with some medical populations on helping to change behaviors toward leading a more healthful lifestyle (health psychology). We also specialize in perinatal and women's issues, eating disorders, adolescence and young adulthood, and nutritional interventions for mental health. We are gender and sexuality inclusive and sensitive.


Lauren Hoffman

Executive Director/Founder

Lauren Hoffman formed HWC out of a desire to bring her knowledge and training from multiple disciplines into a more integrative practice. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, a registered yoga teacher (200-hour) and a Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider, and also has extensive training and certifications in Perinatal Mental Health and the treatment of Eating Disorders.

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Psychotherapy

We offer individual, family, and couples' counseling. At this time, all services are telehealth. Dr. Hoffman is in-network with most Anthem and Cigna plans, as well as Lyra Health, and if you have another insurance carrier, you may have out of network benefits that will cover a portion of the fees. Her therapy approach is informed by mindfulness- and acceptance-based therapies, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as well as Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT). Specialties include depression, anxiety, women's issues (including Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders), eating disorders, self-injury, health psychology, and adolescent issues. Dr. Hoffman is also available to help with life transitions, relationship difficulties, stress management, as well as many other mental health issues.

Speaking Engagements

If you would like a presentation or training session on any number of topics within Dr. Hoffman's areas of expertise, she will work with you to put together a focused outline and presentation. She has experience speaking in front of audiences of all sizes on a diverse range of subject areas. Please see the "About" section of this website for a list of topics with which she has the most experience. If you are curious about something not listed, please contact us!

Health and Wellness Workshops

Many of us have trouble finding the time and energy to live a healthful lifestyle. We eat out of convenience and in response to cravings, we don't prioritize sleep and movement, and we are in a constant state of stress. Utilizing the most current information about living well, Dr. Hoffman will work with you or your group to create realistic goals toward building a more workable lifestyle, to increase mindful and intuitive eating, to learn about and manage stress effectively, and to generally treat your body and mind with kindness, giving it the nourishment it needs.

Support Groups and Workshops

We will be hosting a number of drop-in groups and classes that will be free and donation-based. Classes might include a primer on Mindfulness, Sleep Hygiene Workshops, Developing a Self-Compassion practice, Bibliotherapy (like a therapy book club!), postpartum support, and more. Please visit our website regularly to find out our current offerings.

Gender Affirming Support Letters

in many cases, going through certain kinds of gender transition process involves support and documentation from medical and mental health professionals. If you are looking to receive gender affirming surgery, therapies, or have another related need, we have experience and training in writing a letter of support for you. This usually requires 1-3 sessions to gather all the information necessary for documentation, and will also involve coordinating with other care providers on your team. At HWC, we realize that you are the expert on your body and your needs, we are just here to help open more doors to you living in alignment with your truest self.

Yoga for Mental Health

Yoga can be an excellent complementary mental health therapy, and often supports people who are in psychotherapy access a different kind of information about themselves. It can help with your relationship to your own body, it can be a way of learning how to still the mind and create focus, and it can connect you to a shared common humanity, among other benefits. If you would like individual or group yoga sessions that are tailored to specific needs or mental health concerns, we can work with you to design a class.

Contact us today for a free phone consultation

Your experiences in this moment could affect you at a cellular level for the next few hours, months, or even years. Plan accordingly.

  • 530 E. Main St. Suite 530, Richmond, Virginia, United States

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$25

Donation Amount

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Join us on Tuesdays from 11:30-12:30 for a virtual "Well Within" drop-in group that will cover a range of topics such as mindfulness, best sleep practices, nutrition for mental health, self-compassion, and more. Subject matter will be tailored to what participants want to learn about. Please e-mail lhoffman@heartworkrva.org to register and for the meeting link.Read More


  • Date: 05/04/2021 11:30 AM
  • Location Online Event