Lesa Vander Bie
Lesa Vander Bie
Hello, I'm Lesa Vander Bie, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 25+ years experience and committed to providing a supportive and empowering space for us to create positive change in your life. I have extensive experience in addressing such issues as anxiety, depression, life transitions, etc. My therapeutic approach is rooted in Psychodynamic Therapy which is exploring and understanding the links of how your childhood experiences are internalized and repeated in adulthood. We identify which parts of those patterns are no longer effective and work together to change them into new, healthier ways of relating and reaching your aspirations. I value creating a collaborative relationship which helps me tailor our sessions to adapt to your specific needs. I was born and raised in the Midwest / Arizona and have a background in the Performing and Visual Arts and have a successful practice in Southern California. I look forward to coming along side you to help you gain clarity, valuable new insight, and equipping you to reach your life goals so you can live a fulfilling and meaningful life. TELEHEALTH EXCEPTIONS: Unfortunately, I am NOT able to offer tele-health to individuals who are: Trauma work via telehealth (childhood abuse, adult assaults, etc.), nor EMDR treatment High risk (suicidal, domestic violence, child abuse, sex-trafficking victims, homicidal) Cases involved in a child custody case or lawsuit (suing another person or entity) Currently dealing with a crime Psychosis, Bi-Polar Children under 18 years old SPECIALTY: I DO provide Personal Therapy to psychology graduate students (MFT/SW) in California.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session, I strive to create a safe environment where we can build trust, and a collaborative, enjoyable working relationship. I explain my clinical approach which is Psychodynamic and how it will best serve you. We also go over the Informed Consent and answer any questions regarding it and my policies as well as how to reach me outside of session. We begin to explore your presenting issues, get a sense of each other working together, and identify goals you would like to achieve. We agree to a frequency of visits (usually once a week), and begin exploring what underlies presenting issues, difficult feeling states and unhealthy patterns to move you to a state of thriving personally and relationally.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I believe my strengths include my empathetic and humorous manner as well as being able to connect with individuals who have difficulty opening up. I’m very effective in helping people resolve complex issues and overcome their challenges and find emotional and tangible freedom to live the life they desire. My easy going personality and empathy puts people at ease so that sharing is less stressful. I’m very intuitive and hold space for your thoughts, POV, feelings and needs to be heard and supported. I respect my clients’ autonomy to make their own decisions. I create a collaborative relationship where we work together to help you reach your goals and become a more healthy, resilient, loving and inspired human being. Take the first step and reach out today so you can start your journey towards success.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I ENJOY WORKING WITH ADULTS (18+) IN OVERCOMING THE FOLLOWING ISSUES: PLEASE READ "TELEHEALTH EXCEPTIONS TO TREATMENT" WITH MY PRACTICE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SECTION. - Anxiety (generalized, panic, OCD) - Depression - Low self-worth (shame) - Navigating relationships with family members, friends, significant others - Attachment issues (anxious, avoidant, ambivalent) - Relationship issues (feeling understood, empathy, conflict res., boundaries, assertiveness, need fulfillment - Singles (dating, self worth, career, achieving life goals, finding a healthy partner) - Women's issues (pregnancy, menopause, parenting, self-care, balancing life, marital satisfaction, career) - Men's issues (career, relationships, intimacy, hormone changes, identity, retirement, purpose) - 50+, Aging (hormone changes, empty nesting, dating, new purpose and direction, new interests, etc.) - Career changes, managing stress / burnout, retirement - Grief & Loss, New Beginnings - *Psychology Graduate Students (MFT/SW) seeking to do their (program required) personal therapy in CA COUPLES THERAPY: I only do in person (NOT VIA TELEHEALTH). TELEHEALTH EXCEPTIONS: Unfortunately, I am NOT able to offer tele-health to individuals who: 1) trauma based work and/or requiring EMDR 2) are at risk for self-harm (or a current history of such) 3) are at risk for harm to others 4) are involved in legal matters 5) domestic violence situations These issues are better managed by an "in-person" therapist in your geographical area who can properly treat you for these issues. It's best to contact Grow Therapy directly and ask them how they and your insurance provider want to offer you direct referrals.
About Lesa Vander Bie
I identify as
Specialties
Serves ages
Licensed in
Address
1000 Quail St, Newport Beach, CA 92660, Suite 192Appointments
Virtual & in-personMy treatment methods
Psychodynamic
I help the client identify what areas of their present life are not working as well as they would like and explore how their life experiences have contributed to thoughts, beliefs and behaviors about themselves, others and the world around them. We are then able to understand and change unhealthy patterns that are being re-enacted in adulthood and face fears that are interfering with personal success, building healthy relationships and creating a rewarding life. We "break agreement" with faulty beliefs and replace them with more accurate, positive beliefs that support the client's growth and ability to thrive in all areas of their life. I incorporate teaching tools such as emotional regulation, self-soothing, compassionate self-talk, mindfulness (learning to "stay in the moment"), harnessing rumination about the past or fear of the future, learning to identify "all or nothing / all good - all bad" thinking (cognitive distortions and splitting as an unconscious defense mechanism), setting healthy boundaries, and learning to effectively express one's feelings and needs. I teach the client how to be a healthy partner by addressing such issues as communication, acceptance, intimacy, co-dependency, conflict resolution, etc. We also explore such dynamics as anxious, dismissive and avoidant attachment styles.
Christian Counseling
If you have faith in God (from a Biblical perspective/foundation) and you would like to receive counseling that allows you to integrate your beliefs into your healing journey, I offer therapy that integrates your spiritual values. We are able to understand why/how your beliefs are important to you, how they inform your view of yourself, God and your life journey, as well as how God may be guiding and speaking to you through circumstances, prayer, other people in your life etc. This integrated approach is rich with deep insights that allow you to grow, heal and thrive emotionally and spiritually.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
The concept of mindfulness has gained a lot of interest and research over the years. I have discovered new ways of understanding and using mindfulness as a tool and life practice that deepens the richness of your daily life in a powerful way by exploring and grasping the "gravity" of the beautiful meaning of each moment in the "here and now." I also help you understand how it's a powerful tool to calm anxiety, depression, regrets from the past, and fear of the future through exploring what is unresolved and how to finally accept experiences your heart has carried for far too long and replacing that pain with renewed joy of living fully. Give yourself the gift to travel more lightly through this life and restore your joy and hope for today.
Attachment-based
Dating and seeking a partner to marry are just several examples of how your attachment style from your childhood effects you. It also shows up in how you relate to yourself, your friends, peers, boss, strangers and your family. Doing therapy that helps you understand the internalization of your early attachment to your parents and/or caregivers gives you a helpful glimpse into what holds you back from developing the ego capacity and tools to create healthy long-lasting and fulfilling relationships with self and others. It helps you gain insight, heal from the past, and create a new internal foundation from which to live with hope and freedom to get your needs met and be a person who can equally be respectfully attuned to others in a healthy way.
Supportive
Supportive therapy can encompass many different things. It can help you simply identify problem areas in your life and help you discover insights, solutions and tools to move through an impasse. It can help you feel the comfort of another caring person to heal from a loss or disappointment through helping you feel deeply understood. It can help you recognize how to become more willing to be vulnerable in a healthy way by asserting your voice, expressing your feelings and needs, and setting boundaries. It can help you learn to identify "safe" people in your life and create a support system that helps you thrive. It can help you gain confidence to take risk to learn new life skills or overcome a challenge with triumph and victory.