Esinam Lawson
Growing up in multiple places and moving to the United States as an international student and now an immigrant, I understand the unique issue and challenges of identity exploration for people who are in the process of transitioning.
My approach in counseling is person centered, strength based, and goal oriented. I prioritize establishing trust, emotional/psychological safety and having a collaborative therapeutic relationship. We'll use ACT, DBT, CBT, solution-focused, and person-centered psychotherapy and strategies to increase emotion regulation, assertiveness; stabilize mood; improve relationships; replace cognitive errors for behavior change and; resolve trauma to decrease/eliminate anxiety, depression, PTSD etc. Through my asking thoughtful questions and reflecting previously shared content, my clients engage in purposeful exploration and discover their unvoiced or unnamed feelings, achieve a clearer understanding and a deeper sense of self. As appropriate, I use other approaches, such as mindfulness and relaxation and journaling among others to further facilitate emotional expression and/or catharsis. Overall, I prioritize attending the my clients' whole self and provide a supportive therapy space that is genuine and authentic — where you truly feel cared for and are heard, seen and felt.
As a trainee, I am providing mental health counseling under the clinical supervision of Barbara Adika, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (MD) and Licensed professional Counselor (DC).