Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth LEE.
Hi Elizabeth, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started by volunteering at MUSC’s children’s hospital and in my time spent with a severely burned teenage girl who had lost her whole family in a fire, this sparked something that made me think about helping people as a career. I never felt “capable” before but in those situations, I realized I didn’t have to have all the answers. Sometimes people just need presence and the ability to hold space and not recoil and/or try to fix.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has never been a smooth road and I thought about switching fields off an on the entire time. Imposter syndrome kicks in, even after 20 years. The financial part has always been challenging. State jobs tried to kill me and now that I am independent, the competition at times, seems too overwhelming, along with having to pay for my own insurance and retirement!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As I entered into the private practice world, I dabbled in treating a wide range of disorders. I began to be intrigued by OCD, as I found it fascinating how our brains can “trick us” into questioning our own reality. Even with more understanding of mental health, there seems to be still very little understanding of OCD. People tend to think the person is “just clean” or “likes things a certain way.” The mass population doesn’t understand that OCD can have categories and for one person, it may be washing hands (contamination category) but for another person they may be worried that they may harm someone they love or themselves (Harm OCD), or constantly question their relationship (Relationship OCD), or even question if they might be attracted to children (Pedophelia OCD). OCD is ego-dystonic, meaning it goes against what you believe and having these thoughts can be incredibly distressing for people, even requiring hospitalization at times. So this is why it can be an insult to say “I’m so OCD because I like things clean/neat” etc.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If/when someone in your life has a mental health diagnosis, learn about it. Just as you would any other medical condition. And even better, treat it as you would a medical condition meaning instead of saying “just calm down” (which has never helped anyone in the history of time), learn about what is helpful to a person when they are suffering. And with OCD and some of other anxiety disorders including phobias, body dysmorphia, social anxiety or health anxiety, sometimes what people do to help (give reassurance), can actually make the condition worse so it is important to be informed.
Pricing:
- $150/session (I do accept BCBS, United and Aetna)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ElizabethLeeTherapy.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/UpstairsCounseling
