Esther Lee (she/they)

Racial and ancestral trauma run deep within our bones. They guide how we come to this world and how we navigate it. Who are you in relation to your family? What’s your relationship like with your parents? Their relationship with their parents? What ancestral trauma are you carrying in your body? How can we utilize the resources you have in order to shed the weight of generations of heartache whether it be from war, colonization, or other unspeakable pain that your family has experienced?

You feel a lack of control, there’s insufficient support, and your life feels unstable or even dysfunctional. Or maybe you often find yourself feeling flustered and like there’s no time to breathe? There’s good news: your feelings of burnout can teach you what you need in order to regain harmony and take care of yourself. Boundaries and self care allow you to build healthy relationships and set realistic expectations for the people around you.

You’re an intellectual, and you make sense of the world by rationalizing and over-rationalizing everything. Your intellect has gotten you far, but you feel disconnected from the emotional part of you, and maybe your anxiety gets in the way of your confidence and self-satisfaction. Through our work together, we’ll collaboratively create a safe space for you to feel all of your feelings and release all that you’re holding in your body.

We seldom have control over how our lives plays out, so what can it look like to go with the flow in the direction that it wants to take us? A fundamental pillar of ACT is radical acceptance of who you are, your thought/emotional patterns, and life circumstances. Through the practice of mindfulness and psychological flexibility, you'll be able to make decisions that are more aligned with your values, goals, and be more intentional in how you walk in the world.

Imagine a triangle with your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors/actions at each corner. Each of these components communicate with and influence each other, and when an unhelpful way of thinking or a learned behavior occurs, it often throws you for a loop and brings out a part of you that you don't always recognize. With CBT, we'll strive to manage the story we tell ourselves and how we respond to them so that you're the one in control of your emotions instead of your emotions controlling you.

Have you ever wondered who you are in relation to the people around you? How does your past impact the way you walk in the world today? What emotions do certain triggers evoke? Through self-reflection and insight, we'll identify and understand patterns in your life to rewrite these narratives and better regulate your emotions.