Melissa Lester, LCSW

Therapy for adults struggling with Burnout, Imposter Syndrome, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Grief and Financial complications. I'm also proud to be a staunch ally to the LGBTQ community, offering a support group for women Coming out Later in Life since 2014. I am licensed in GA, FL and AL.

Maybe you're feeling 'burnt out,' depleted, exhausted. Maybe you're looking around and wondering 'Who's life is this, anyway?' Maybe you've worked hard, created a life that 'looks great on paper' but are now wondering 'Is this all there is?' Maybe the price you're paying is starting to outweigh the comforts.

I have lived this, 'got real' with myself, dismantled my life, corrected course and finally built a life that is authentically, truly mine. I also specialize in working with high performers, rule followers and achievers who are running on empty because they've spent a lifetime filling up other people's tanks. Building an authentic life from the inside out doesn't solve all of life's problems - but it does make life meaningful enough to make life's problems worth dealing with.

Along the way, most of us experience anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and challenges in our financial lives. And if you happen to be a woman questioning your sexual orientation, I am a staunch LGBTQ ally who has offered a long-standing support group for you!

Along my path of personal and professional development, I use and offer psychodynamic therapy combined with multiple somatic body-based approaches, as well as clinical hypnosis.

MEDITATION
Exercises from various meditation traditions can be used in therapy to help us ground in our own being and body, feel more solidly connected to Self and truly change the way we move through the world.

EFT TAPPING
Tapping is possibly the easiest and quickest way to regulate our emotions by bringing our Nervous System back to a deep, resting calm. It also facilitates the process of 'digesting' distressing emotions, often very quickly.

HYPNOSIS
Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are the intentional use of trance for your desired outcome. Hypnosis and trance work are effective, incredibly relaxing and serve to reinforce all of the goals you have in therapy.

SOMATIC PROCESSING
Trauma, and the types of distress that stick with us are stored in the body and the Nervous System. Somatic processing of distress stuck in the body allows us to release the trauma once and for all so that it is no longer triggered by events or people that remind of us the initial experience.

PROGRESSIVE COUNTING (or The Counting Method)
This approach is nothing short of fascinating. It is numerical, methodical and extremely effective. This approach allows us to integrate multiple healing mechanisms simply, seamlessly and incredibly effectively.

FLASH TECHNIQUE
This is a gentle approach that combines several mechanisms to quickly and easily lower our levels of distress making it easier to process and resolve them. This technique is a perfect starting place if you find yourself too overwhelmed by your distress to even consider working with it.

My goal is always to get you the most relief as quickly as possible. Doing the deeper, body-based work is where clients get the biggest impact and long-lasting relief. We will always work at your pace, and honor what feels right and best for you in the moment. Good therapy is life-changing. I have experienced this from both sides of the couch and I want you to know that your work is doable.