I’m a psychologist, author, and speaker who has spent decades studying how trauma wires us—and how we adapt, heal, and change.
My work blends research, clinical practice, and lived stories to give you practical tools you can use in everyday life.
I’ve seen the mental health field from several sides: as a hospitalized teen, as a Registered Nurse in an acute care psychiatric setting, and as a trauma-informed clinical psychologist (McGill University, Montréal).
These experiences allow me to understand, in a deeply personal and professional way, the movement from feeling stuck and not enough, toward a greater sense of freedom and aliveness.
Healing isn’t a straight path, and it looks different for each one, but meaningful change is possible.
I’m here to help you find your way forward.
The author of Chicken Soup for the Soul said of one of my early books: Dancing with Tigers:
“This book has changed lives.” —Jack Canfield, Author, Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Download chapters from Dancing with Tigers now:
Therapy is never based on what is wrong with you, faults or limitations you think you have, or on what diagnoses you might have, or not have, been given.
We look at ways you learned to cope that are no longer helping you, understand how they’re playing out, and discover the gifts and strengths in each of them.
Understanding and changing long-standing stress responses reduces distress and improves daily functioning.
Trauma-informed therapy is a whole-person approach tailored to your goals and pace. Many people experience meaningful relief quickly.
“I wish I had done this years earlier. How I am makes so much sense now and I can finally let go of so much I was carrying by myself.” — Janeen S.
“I think it was just Dr. Lapp’s presence that was so warm and encouraging that made it feel safe to face what I’d been running away from for so long.” — Kendra M.
“She was really direct and to the point, and cut through the BS to what’s really happening but she did it in a really kind way that wasn’t a put-off, it was awesome.” — Steven W.
“It’s about freeing you—from shame, from mislabeling, from the exhausting performance of normality so many of us have rehearsed our entire lives.
You may have been told you were lazy, weird, crazy, dramatic, messy, too much, or not enough.
You may have learned to keep your hands folded, your mouth shut, and your feelings buried.
Maybe you grew up adapting brilliantly to impossible conditions—by shutting down, snapping shut, or armoring up. Many of us did. We were creative children who became strategic adults, quietly compensating for what no one helped us name.
But we were never broken. And being ‘wired different’ was never a flaw.”
from the forthcoming book: Wired Different (2027)
