Steve LeSieur

Individuals

Demand for our attention and awareness can be relentless, which makes it easy to get overwhelmed, feel stuck, or lose touch. Think of Individual Therapy as a place where you show up for YOU—for that very blessed being you get to be this whole life. We all have a natural drive to adapt, learn, and grow, and we do so in relationship—with ourselves, with others, with ideas and values, and with the world. You and I will listen closely—from where you are right now—to help reconnect you to your innate tendency to grow and change in desired ways. This may very well mean tolerating more friction and tension at first. It’s alright. You will get more comfortable with being uncomfortable. And over time, knowing how you feel, think, and act—right here and now—will help you make better choices, recharge your sense of well-being, and enliven your relationships.

Relationships

Our relationships define who we are. Relationships are primary. We do not become a “me” without relationships. We are never not relating. Some of the most important relationships are romantic/sexual/intimate relationships. These close bonds provide necessary nurture and nourishment, but they also commonly bring about stress, tension, and conflict.

Often, connections with spouses and partners come to feel heavy or harder to navigate. Importantly, communication is more than just words being exchanged; things easily get lost in translation. Becoming fluent in these “meta-languages” takes focus, empathy, and practice. In Couples Therapy, we’ll practice slowing down communication and listening closely to what is being expressed, transmitted, and exchanged, so you and your partners can better understand one another, and yourselves. Figuring out what we want and where we’re coming from—and what our partners want and where they’re coming from—helps build understanding and empathy. In turn, trust and intimacy strengthen as love, appreciation, and respect flow more easily between you.

Perhaps you and your beloveds do not color inside the traditional lines with your relationships. Maybe the typical relationship styles, types, or approaches leave you feeling limited or constrained in some way. You may be thinking about (or already exploring) alternative approaches to intimacy, like Ethical/Consensual Nonmonogamy or Polyamory. I have extensive experience in these areas and can help you to explore and negotiate in safe, respectful, enjoyable, and healthy ways. No doubt there are challenges, but together, you and your partners can learn to co-author your relationships in ways that do not necessarily adhere to conventional “relationshapes.”

Teens/Young Adults

If you’re a teen or young adult, you might be faced with questions like: Who am I becoming or who do I want to be? Or who do others want me to be? Where or how do I belong? What should I do for a living? Maybe you’re going through some kind of tough transition, or feel the need to straighten out your thinking. Maybe you feel confused and overwhelmed, like people don’t get you—or like you don’t get you. With so much noise and content coming at you everyday, and so many people and algorithms competing for your attention, it can be hard to find the time and space to figure stuff out. What you probably don’t need is another older adult telling you what you should do. So, let’s open up some nonjudgmental space to talk through (and walk through) what’s going on in your life and what is important to you so you can get a better handle on things.

Therapeutic Orientation

I orient relationally and interpersonally in sessions, evoking the healing potential of an empathic, dialogic therapeutic relationship, while simultaneously cultivating compassionate curiosity. I help to develop and practice somatic awareness and mindful acceptance about what is arising—cognitively, emotionally, somatically, and behaviorally—right here, right now. My approach is informed by humanistic, attachment, experiential, narrative, CBT, and existential theories/practice.  I also facilitate trauma work with EMDR and I am currently training to become a certified Gestalt psychotherapist.