Hi! My name is Leslie. It’s important to me that the people I work with know a bit about me so this doesn’t feel like a one way street. I’m an introvert who loves helping other introverts accept and appreciate this aspect within themselves. It took me quite some time to recognize that I tend to enjoy quieter activities like reading and journaling, and really feel energized by solitude rather than being with people.
With that being said, I also really value spending quality time with my loved ones. Most of my time outside of work is spent with my six-year-old daughter. I know how hard and tiring it can be at times being a parent, and I have realized over the past couple of years how important self-care and “me time” is. For me, this looks like taking ballet classes, reading fiction and non-fiction, going for walks, going to as many concerts as I can, and watching reality TV (my guilty pleasure).
My cat Betty
An important part of my identity is that I am an adoptee. It’s something that I feel proud of, and I am fortunate that my experience as an adoptee has been wonderful. Over the years as a therapist though, I have met many adoptees in my practice, and this has shown me that not everyone views being adopted as a positive event. I enjoy helping clients that were adopted make sense of their experience and process difficult emotions that come up around this major life event.
One last thing to know about me, I love cats. Especially, my calico cat Betty. A perk of doing virtual sessions is that I get to catch a glimpse of your cats and dogs.
Why I do this work:
During my first psychology class in high school, I developed an interest in mental health counseling. This evolved into a deep passion for helping and supporting others through some of their darkest and most difficult times. Starting with that first class over twenty years ago, I found a path to becoming a mental health therapist, and it really is my life’s passion.
At the start of my career, I worked at a residential eating disorder treatment center, I found my curiosity piqued by the complexity of eating disorders. I became passionate about helping my clients return to a place of listening to and trusting their bodies rather than giving power to the “rules” about food they had been taught. In my practice, I utilize the principles of intuitive eating and take a Health-at-Every-Size approach to help people feel at ease in their bodies and in the presence of food.
In addition to the years of experience working with eating disorders and body image issues at the residential and outpatient level, I have also seen many within my private practice who have struggled with depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, low self-worth and self-esteem, relationship issues, and sexual identity issues.