Every person who walks through my door — or joins me on screen — brings with them a unique history, a unique set of strengths, and a unique way of moving through the world. My approach to therapy honors that uniqueness from the very first session.

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Where We Begin

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Our first meeting is yours. After we review consent forms and I answer any questions you might have about the therapy process, I simply ask what brings you in — and then I follow your lead. You set the pace. You determine the flow. You share what you are ready to share, in whatever way feels most natural to you. There is no pressure to have it all figured out or to tell your whole story at once. This early process of getting to know one another continues over several sessions, allowing me to develop a thorough understanding of who you are before we collaboratively identify your treatment goals and begin to map out a path forward.

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How We Work

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I take an active, engaged, and deeply present approach to therapy. I share my observations and impressions in real time, and I am not someone who sits quietly behind a notepad waiting for you to fill the silence. At the same time, I know when to listen, when to ask, and when to simply sit with you in a difficult moment.

 

Within any given session, I move fluidly between approaches — introducing a cognitive-behavioral strategy, shifting into a creative or expressive exercise, weaving in a mindfulness or grounding practice, and then moving into deeper exploratory work through a psychodynamic or family systems lens. Not because I am following a predetermined plan, but because I am following you — responding to what you need in that moment, in that session, on that particular day.

 

Insight-oriented, active skill-building, and experiential exercises are all equally valued parts of the work. Sometimes they happen separately. Sometimes they happen simultaneously. What matters is that they are always in service of you and your goals.

 

The modalities I draw from include:

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• Supportive Counseling

• Relational and Family Systems Theories

• Insight-Oriented Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

• Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies

• Short-Term, Solution-Focused Treatment Methods

• Creative and Expressive Arts Techniques

 

Between Sessions

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Therapy does not begin and end in the session. Growth often happens in the spaces in between - in the quiet moments when you notice something new about yourself, in the conversations you have differently, in the choices you make with greater intention. With that in mind, I often suggest between-session activities tailored to where you are in your work. I sometimes call these "experiments" - and I mean that genuinely. They are invitations to try something, notice something, or do something differently, without the pressure of getting it right. These might include reflection exercises — observing, noticing, and paying attention to patterns in your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors — as well as journaling, written documentation, workbook or worksheet activities, or small but meaningful changes in action. Some experiments are about thinking. Some are about writing. Some are about doing. All of them are designed to extend the work of our sessions into your everyday life and help build momentum between our meetings.

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Who I Am as a Therapist

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I want to be honest with you about something: I do not have a therapist version of myself and a real version of myself. They are one and the same. I bring my whole self into the room — my warmth, my directness, my genuine investment in your wellbeing — because I believe that authenticity is not just a personal value, it is a clinical one. The therapeutic relationship is one of the most powerful instruments of change we have, and it only works when it is real.

 

That said, I hold clear and firm professional boundaries, and I rarely self-disclose. My focus is always on you — your story, your growth, your goals. My authenticity shows up not in what I share about myself, but in how fully present, honest, and genuinely engaged I am with you.

 

The Bottom Line

Therapy with me is collaborative, active, and real. We will work hard together - and we will also make space for the moments of insight, connection, and even humor that make the journey worthwhile. I will walk beside you, guide you when you need guidance, follow your lead when you are ready to take it, and always hold the belief that you are capable of more than you may currently be able to see.

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If you are ready to take the next step, I would love to connect. 

Leslie