Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Lester.
Hi Melissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was in 7th grade, I told my best friend Allison that “when I grew up” I planned to be a “psychotherapist on 5th Avenue in NYC.” (She told me she planned to be an FBI Agent). Allison recently retired from the FBI. But it took me several years before I could trust myself enough to pursue my personal truth. After a ten years detour, at the age of 31 (it was 1996), I returned to my Alma Mater to earn my MSW at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Still, after graduation, I struggled to trust myself.
It took me some years, but in 2005, I began inching toward a full-time private therapy practice. And the past 17 years have been the most incredibly rewarding years of my work life – in so many glorious ways that I could not have imagined. Fast forward to today, and my practice has evolved to focus solely on Women’s Issues, including Disordered Eating, Trauma Resolution, LGBTQ++ Issues, especially Coming Out Later in Life, High-Conflict Relationships, Anxiety, Stress and Depression. I am affirming of and culturally competent in working with women in traditional and non-traditional relationship configurations. Since 2015, I have facilitated a Coming Out Later in Life Support Group for Women who are curious, questioning and/or working through the myriad issues related to Coming Out Later in Life.
The combination of insight-oriented talk therapy with several body-based approaches frequently yields powerful results for clients who are familiar with the limitations of talk therapy alone. The impact of Meditation, Hypnosis, EFT Tapping, Progressive Counting and other somatically focused methods are undeniably positive and healing – both for myself and for my clients. It is always a thrill (and deeply gratifying for me) to share in a client’s relief and amazement as they discover themselves moving through the world in different ways with new eyes and creating a more peaceful and meaningful life for themselves. As many therapists will tell you, it is, indeed, a rare privilege and an honor to be asked to walk with a client through their very personal (and often painful) process of growth.
It would be misleading to suggest that earning my Master’s Degree in Social Work is what prepared me for the life I am describing. In fact, a degree is merely the price of admission to the many years of clinical training that would come later. And my own personal therapy work of many, many years and personal use of the methods I share with my clients have had the greatest impact on how I practice therapy – and how I live my life.
Now, after a long run of offering Telehealth Therapy (which proved far more effective than I could have imagined), I plan to begin offering In Person appointments again in early 2023.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
A smooth road? Oh, my. Like most people, I’ve had some smooth passages as well as some very difficult and challenging ones, to be sure. I remember seeing my very first clients, a couple. I remember sitting with them and thinking, “I really hope they’re more nervous than I am.” I recall very early on realizing that a “Generalist” approach to therapy was not what I wanted. It wouldn’t work for me. I didn’t think it would serve my clients well. I craved a “specialty,” a focus, a clear area of expertise that I could dive into deeply and explore to the fullest. So I set about “thinking, thinking, thinking.” Nope, nope and nope.
I could write a lot about “clarity” and “trusting the process” and there is certainly a lot to say about all these things. What I know is that it can be maddening to want clarity before we can have it. It is the very process of being in the present moment with as much awareness as possible and honoring what that awareness tells us that actually leads to clarity and peace. It’s not (only) a thinking thing. And it can’t be rushed.
Other memorable “growth opportunities” in my practice have included not being paid for a year and a half by an (unnamed) insurance company during my “experimental” insurance phase. We broke up. I briefly shared an office with a therapist who wanted to use hideous furniture. We broke up. I rented an office from a ‘landlord’ who advised me she was kicking me out of my office so that her best friend could use it. We broke up. I’m sure the list is much longer. But the truth is that the true, deeply meaningful work of therapy and the joy inherent in my relationships with my clients was/is never eclipsed by the annoyances that sometimes come with “logistics.”
On a more serious note, the last three years have brought many significant losses, as they have for many, if not most, of us. The world changed. Most of us regained a much healthier perspective on life, even as we reeled and grieved and worked to regain our bearings when we could. I count myself fortunate as far as my work is concerned – it never really feels like “work.” It feels like love, pure and simple. Yes, skill is required. My own personal and professional growth and learning must always be ongoing. But on a much deeper level, at the end of the day, and through it all, it’s love.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Psychotherapy for Women
Specializing in Women’s Issues including Disordered Eating, Trauma Resolution, LGBTQ++, Coming Out Later in Life, High Conflict Relationships, Anxiety, Stress and Depression.
Combining Insight Oriented Talk Therapy with Body-Based approaches such as Meditation, Hypnosis, EFT Tapping, Progressive Counting and other Somatic methods.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Connecting with and caring deeply for clients within the context of appropriate boundaries is an essential element of a therapeutic relationship.
Pricing:
- 240.00 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://melissalesterlcsw.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-lester-lcsw-9614045
Image Credits
Photos by Jeffrey Alston
