My name is Dese’Rae L. Stage (she/her), but you can call me Des. I’m a mom, therapist, licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), suicidologist, artist, and advocate in Philadelphia, PA. I wear a lot of hats. I identify as a queer, white, cisgender single parent and live with depression, anxiety, ADHD, CPTSD, and chronic suicidal thoughts. It’s important to me to be transparent about my positionality, in terms of my identity and lived experiences, as well as being someone who receives mental health services—I know what it’s like to be in the therapy chair and sitting across from it. To that end, I come to my work as a partner and a support, rather than an expert. In past lives, I worked in the service industry and the music industry, and built a career as an award-winning suicide prevention advocate and artist. I live with two small humans, a Bernese Mountain Dog named Dolly Parton, and a long-haired white Siamese mix with heterochromia named Betty White. I see live music at every available opportunity (and sometimes I still drag my camera along), and when I’m not at a show, I’m probably reading a book, eating something delicious, or building Lego sets. I have a lot of stories. Feel free to ask me what happened when OJ Simpson came into the restaurant I worked at while I was in high school, or about that one time Lou Reed told me to f*ck off.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

Our first session is all about me getting to know you and your history. I ask a lot of questions and do a lot of typing. Later sessions don't look like that. Because I believe it's important for the client to lead our work, I will usually open subsequent sessions with, "What's going on?" or, "What have you been thinking about lately?" That way we're focusing on what feels important to you. If you need more structure than that, we can always discuss what that should look like.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

Because I have struggled with various mental health issues of my own over time, I think one of my biggest assets as a therapist is that I often have personal experience with what we're discussing. It tends to make people feel more comfortable sharing. I'm also very informal and use humor during session (that doesn't mean you won't cry, though).

About Dese'Rae L. Stage

Appointments