LCSW, 16 years of experience
My name is Lee Maxwell; a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and founder of Maximum Wellness, LLC. I have lived and worked in Metro Atlanta for over two decades. I grew up in rural Georgia; born to older parents who instilled in me the value of connection with others and treating others as I would want to be treated. I gained my passion for working in Geriatrics from my mother, who, on most Sundays throughout my childhood, would take me along with her to visit a local nursing home. I obtained my undergraduate degree in Sociology from Georgia Southern University; followed by a graduate degree in Clinical Social Work from Savannah State University. I have been working in the field of mental health care for 25 years; 16 of which have been dedicated to providing psychotherapy services; primarily to a geriatric population. After working in senior living communities throughout the pandemic, I decided to afford myself the opportunity to work with a younger population; which I found to be refreshing and resulted in opening up my private practice to include services for all adults over the age of 18yo. I have been professionally licensed in the state of Georgia since 2009.
My take on the therapeutic process is simple; treat others as I would want to be treated. I believe in meeting each person where they are in their process of improving their quality of life. If you choose me as your therapist, here is what you can expect: A down-to-earth, non-judgmental approach, where trust is developed and nurtured as we explore and process thoughts and feelings; while also learning to identify triggers, emotional and behavioral patterns, as well as learning healthy coping tools. In our first session, I typically collect background information, explore your reasons for entering into therapy, as well as determine whether or not I am a good fit for what you are trying to achieve.
My greatest strengths are having a non-judgmental, compassionate approach; rooted in the golden rule concept of treating others the way that I would want to be treated; meeting every individual where they (emotionally) are, serving as a positive, grounding force and source of inspiration to help people feel a sense of connection, motivation and confidence throughout the therapeutic relationship. I also believe that while I have multiple degrees and a professional license, it doesn't define me. I'm a human being, who like you, is navigating a complex world. My primary focus is to create a safe space for you to feel comfortable in slowly building trust and learning to work toward a deeper understanding of how you perceive the world around you.
Most of my career has been dedicated to providing emotional wellness services to a geriatric population (mostly in senior living communities). However, since working with younger adults over the last few years, I've really enjoyed helping people understand how conditioning, personal accountability, and learning the difference between reacting versus responding can be incredibly important to improving communication, relationships and one's quality of life.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy is used to help a person emotionally ground themselves; increasing awareness of thoughts, feelings, triggers; which result in feeling more confident and successful in one's ability to navigate thoughts and feelings that can lead to feelings of confusing or overwhelm.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to help one gain a deeper understanding of how their brain processes thoughts and feelings; gaining perspective and confidence in learning how to effectively navigate complicated thoughts, feelings and relationships.
Overall, I use an eclectic approach; using techniques and exercises from multiple theoretical perspectives; resulting in a truly personalized approach to deeper understanding, desired change and improved quality of life and relationships.