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Women’s Therapy & Counseling
Melissa Lester, LCSW
As a therapist and counselor specializing in working with women since 2005 (licensed in GA since 1998), I am deeply committed to helping you achieve your personal and professional goals through the life-changing work of therapy.
So, whether you are new to therapy or ready to embark on a deeper experience than words alone can offer, I look forward to connecting with you.
And if one or more of the following resonates with you as a stressor, it’s likely you and I are a good fit for the work you have in mind.
- Women’s Issues
- Trauma Resolution
- Family of Origin Dynamics
- Binge Eating and Emotional Eating Disorders
- LGBTQ Issues
- Coming Out Later in Life
- Relationship Conflict
- Career Challenges
- Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
My therapy approach includes a combination of psychodynamic talk therapy and body-focused trauma resolution methods.
These include:
- Meditation and Mindfulness
- EFT Tapping | Acupressure
- Hypnosis (Hypnotherapy)
- Progressive Counting
- and other body-based, Somatic trauma resolution methods.
And because my work is deeply meaningful to me, I am committed to providing you with the best therapy experience possible. You will benefit from the most current and effective therapies available.
Our therapy work can incorporate body-focused approaches, as well as use of your unconscious.
Best of all, the skills you and I use together are also skills you can continue to use on your own for life-long relief.
Telehealth for Georgia Residents
I am a fully Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Georgia. You must be a resident of Georgia to receive my Telehealth services. This is a legal restriction placed on me by the Georgia Mental Health Licensing Board.
Georgia — Licensed Clinical Social Worker #CSW003082
Meditation and Mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness are both powerful tools to cultivate presence in the body and presence in the ‘now.’ The benefits of meditation and mindfulness are both immediate and long-term. The more we cultivate our “right here, right now” awareness, the more grounded, embodied and powerful we become in our own lives. We reap the immediate benefits and, over time, the cumulative ones as well.
My own meditation practice, off and on for many years, connects me more deeply and more meaningfully with my Self. As a result of my changed relationship with myself, by extension, my relationships with others are also changed in ways that make my life more rewarding. A simple, uncomplicated meditation practice has the power to change your relationship with Self, and your relationship with the World. (And the “harder” it is for you to meditate at the start, the more likely you are to benefit significantly from the practice.)
Meditation doesn’t require any special equipment, poses, props or clothes. Meditation requires just you, exactly as you are. Slow down, stop, turn everything off, focus inward and sit with Self. And your therapy can be a combination of many different approaches, including meditation.
EFT Tapping Therapy
EFT Tapping (“Emotional Freedom Techniques”), or just “Tapping,” is often a rapid and effective way to regulate our emotions and resolve our distress, whether the cause of our distress is old or new, known or unknown. Yup, it looks weird. And, yup…it really works.
“Tapping” is a highly researched (over 100 studies at last count) emotional regulation and trauma resolution tool used and recommended by physicians, mental health providers, body workers, coaches, high performance athletes and millions of others. It is also used by the United States Veterans Administration for effective treatment of PTSD.
As an EFT Tapping Trainer certified by EFT International, I encourage you to do your own research, experience EFT Tapping for yourself, and determine for yourself whether Tapping brings you relief.
Note – Although EFT Tapping meets the definition of an “evidence based treatment,” the APA has not yet included it on their list of evidence based modalities. Therefore, I am ethically obligated to inform you that EFT Tapping is still considered an ‘experimental’ therapy by the APA.
Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is the intentional induction and use of trance for a clearly defined purpose. The human mind is in and out of trance, all day, every day. It’s a natural state that happens automatically, and that can be induced intentionally. Subtle and deeper trance work in therapy and counseling together is an option.
You should know that all hypnosis is ‘self hypnosis.’ A hypnotic suggestion must resonate with you at the unconscious level or it will not have any effect. The ethical use of hypnosis | hypnotherapy requires that the practitioner use hypnosis only for the agreed upon purpose, which is dictated by the client.
I am trained in Hypnosis by both The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and the Anxiety and Stress Management Institute. I have previously been an active member of the Georgia Hypnosis Society.
We can use hypnosis as an addition to our work together. However, hypnosis is not my primary approach to therapy. This means that I often weave hypnosis into talk therapy, trauma therapy and/or grounding work. If you are seeking Hypnotherapy as the primary approach to your work, I am happy to refer you to some highly skilled hypnotherapists in the metro Atlanta area.
A Bit About Me
My own diverse cultural, religious, and geographic background has shaped my values, my path and how I practice therapy. In addition, my personal and family experiences with physical illness, disability, divorce, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, loss, dying, death and grief shape who I am and inform my work. My deepest connections thus far in life are with women – kindred spirits in a myriad of ways – women of all shapes and sizes, cultures and religions, abilities and disabilities, ages, races, sexual orientations, socioeconomic, and occupational status. You are welcome here. Real change is possible.
My own therapy and counseling work of the past 30 years — along with my professional training — allows me to share this truly good news with you – growth, healing and peace are possible.