LCSW, 5 years of experience
Frequently rebooked
The best pitch for therapy is simple, “do you have bad feelings or uncomfortable thoughts that you want to talk to someone about?” My name is Ed Lessard, and that’s what I am best at. I talk to people about their most distressing and uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, listen actively, without judgment, and respond with empathy, advanced education in mental and public health, and evidenced based treatments for specific issues like depression, interpersonal conflict and trauma. Like many therapists, I started as a patient, no better or worse than the people who come to see me for help. I work collaboratively with my clients to help them identify, understand and cope with the problems they are facing and define their own versions of success and happiness.
In our first session we will briefly get to know each other and, unlike usual sessions, I will probably ask you a lot of questions trying to get a sense of your background, history, concerns, relationships, behaviors, etc., Very broadly, I will want to get a sense of why you are coming to therapy now. We will wrap things up by talking about how I think therapy works, any questions and concerns you may have, and sketching an outline of what we will be talking about and working towards together in sessions.
Clients dealing with chronic illness or severe mental illness in their family. Clients experiencing caretaker burden. Autistic adults or clients who suspect they may be autistic. Clients with complex trauma and enduring depression/anxiety. Clients with abusive/dysfunctional family who want a chance to process the effects.
I am a trauma-informed psychodynamic psychotherapist in that I work chiefly to help clients understand how their past experiences inform and affect the present.
I draw on ideas from methods and theories like trauma-informed care, attachment, humanistic, existential, and client centered therapy. Some of the more specific techniques I use include Motivational Interviewing (MI), Acceptance and Commitments Therapy (ACT), and Narrative Therapy.