Lauren Morales, MSW, LCSW

Lauren Morales (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker, young adult cancer survivor, and guest faculty member with Cactus Cancer Society. She serves as a contributing expert and featured presenter for the organization’s continuing education course, The Art of Survivorship, which explores the emotional, psychosocial, and practical realities of life after cancer.

Prior to becoming a guest faculty member, Lauren served as Senior Program Coordinator at Cactus Cancer Society, where she developed and facilitated psychosocial programs for young adults affected by cancer. Today, Lauren works in behavioral health crisis response and case management within the military sector while continuing to support individuals and groups impacted by cancer, chronic illness, and medical trauma through her private practice. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to helping people navigate uncertainty, rebuild trust in themselves and their bodies, and create meaningful lives alongside difficult experiences.

With more than a decade of experience across healthcare, mental health, military, and community-based settings, Lauren has worked in hospitals, primary care clinics, military installations, nonprofit organizations, and private practice. Her clinical work has focused on trauma, grief, oncology, chronic illness, and life transitions. As both a clinician and young adult Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor, she is particularly passionate about meaning-making, identity development, intersectionality, and building authentic community within the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer space.

Outside of work, Lauren can usually be found curled up with a good book and her two dogs, experimenting with a new recipe, exploring local restaurants, or engaging in some kind of creative hobby. She is also an active-duty military spouse, a proud auntie, and a passionate advocate for equitable, accessible healthcare. To learn more about Lauren and her work, visit her website at www.seekingsunrisetherapy.com