Experience

I have been in the helping profession for 20 years and have worked in a wide variety of settings during that time. These settings have included a shelter for victims of domestic violence, a psychology clinic on a military base, a women’s prison, two different university counseling clinics and a university career center, and a low-cost, social justice-oriented counseling practice. In addition, I have worked as a group facilitator in a women’s county jail and with people on probation and parole once they have left incarceration.

Education

I graduated from Kansas State University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, clinical emphasis. My master’s degree (2006) is in Mental Health Counseling from Idaho State University. In 2009, I earned a Ph.D. degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. My dissertation research focused on social justice advocacy skills and knowledge in counseling students.

Between 2010 and 2022, I was a full-time faculty member of clinical mental health counseling program at Seattle University. I taught classes on human development, counseling theory, and clinical experiences. My areas of research include healing practices for girls and women who experience gender-based violence in Guatemala, the community impact of hate crimes, and social justice approaches to counseling.

Counseling

In 2022, I decided it was time for a change and left my role as a professor. I took some time to rest and travel, and then decided to begin my private counseling practice, the Lee Center for Counseling. After many years in the field of counselor education and in higher education, I am thrilled to return to my original professional passion—helping people build happy, healthy lives through individual therapy.

Therapeutic Approach

The foundation of my approach to counseling is built from three primary elements. First, a warm, supportive, therapeutic relationship will be the basis of our work in therapy. Second, together we will seek to understand not only your history and internal dynamics, but also the way environmental factors such as racism, sexism, homophobia and other types of discrimination have impacted you. Third, locating where you are and where you hope to be in your life will help us work to build an effective approach to counseling so you can meet your goals and aspirations.

After this foundation is established, I use elements of psychodynamic, narrative, emotion-focused, and cognitive-behavioral approaches depending on what is most useful for you. I believe that collaboration, transparency and sharing power in the counseling experience is key in empowering you to own your healing and life. We will work together to create a healing therapeutic journey.