Micah

Lessans

My office

Hello! Congrats on taking a step towards finding support. Finding a therapist that is a good fit for your needs can be incredibly daunting, but you’ve made it here. If you’re feeling burnt out, ashamed, isolated, or dysregulated, I’m here to help you figure out a path towards healing and connectedness.

Areas of Specialization

  • Children, youth, and young adults (10+)

  • Caregivers

  • Queer and trans individuals

  • Neurodiverse individuals

  • ENM/Alternative lifestyle affirming

  • Complex trauma

  • Substance use

  • Grief and loss

  • Life transitions

  • Shame

  • Individuals in healing/helping professions

ABOUT MICAH

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 17 years of experience in mental health work and over 12 as a psychotherapist and clinical case manager. I earned my Master’s in Social Work from the University of Denver in Colorado with a specialization in children and youth and I’ve worked in community based mental health with vulnerable folx since then. I’ve also been an artist for my entire life and believe strongly in the power of creative metaphor/ritual as a way to access healing.

I identify as non-binary, queer, and AuDHD. These intersecting identities have given me a drive to support folx in navigating difficult times while also assisting them in accessing a sense of joy without shame. I also identify as white and am working daily to recognize and detangle myself from white supremacy and the harms it has caused.

In my personal life, I love working on art projects, time in nature, dancing, my cats, and my community.

PHILOSOPHY

I could tell you I’m very person-centered, but hopefully every therapist is, right– so what makes me different? My practice is informed by my background as an artist, which has been a part of my own healing as well as the work I do with clients. I love using creative modalities to process trauma, explore emotions, and create meaningful rituals, particularly when words are just not enough or there are things we just don’t have the language for.

When I’m working with children and youth specifically, I recognize that it may not be entirely their idea to be in therapy. I’ll meet them where they’re at, move slowly, and get creative when it comes to finding interests and values to support their capacity to open up and engage.

As a lifelong activist, I have a strong orientation towards social justice and believe in the importance of naming/unpacking the impact of systems of oppression. We live in a world that is increasingly dysregulating and disempowering, and finding ways to access joy and process grief are crucial in building our capacity to navigate it all. I approach my clients from a place of curiosity, and I invite them to get curious with me. I would describe my style as direct, but also gentle in its approach– let’s work together to get unstuck.

 If you’re curious about modalities, I incorporate elements of internal family systems, dialectical behavioral therapy, and somatic practices to support my clients in both healing trauma and working to create healthier patterns. We can’t heal if we don’t confront and learn about parts of ourselves that we avoid or are ashamed of, but we also need tools to move forward and have opportunities to thrive.

My Services and rates

Individual therapy

Individual sessions at 50 minutes or 90 minutes. These sessions can take place in my Berkeley office, virtually, or we can arrange outdoor walk-and talk sessions near my office. My base rate is $180/hr but I offer sliding scale when there is financial need.

Transition Planning

Transitions are challenging. I can support you in identifying stress points within transitions and creating a tangible plan for navigating them. This can be for recurring transitions like going to school, or for more specific transitions such as divorce, moving, or gender-affirming surgery. My base rate for this is $150/hr. The number of sessions will be dependent on the nature of the transition.

Crisis Planning

The worst time to plan for a crisis is while you’re in the middle of it. I can support you in developing a plan for mental health related crisis situations so that you or your loved one can have a roadmap to support you in navigating some of life’s most difficult moments. My base rate is $150/hr, and this is usually accomplished within a 2hr meeting.

Sensory Space Creation

Our environments have an incredible impact on our moods and sense of wellbeing, especially for neurodivergent folx. I can work with you to design a sensory-friendly space in your home to support regulation and have a space you can return to that brings you joy. My base rate is $150/hr.

FAQs

  • Therapy can be an incredibly meaningful tool, but it cannot solve or change all of the systems that impact us. In the initial consultation, we will talk about what you’re looking for and how therapy may or may not be appropriate in supporting your specific needs.

  • I don’t accept insurance at this time. For now, I can offer super-bills for you to seek out-of-network reimbursement. I also can offer sliding-scale rates as low as $100 for those who cannot afford my full rate of $180 based on need. This rate is the same for both telehealth and in-person.

  • Sessions are typically weekly for 50 minutes, but beyond that it’s up to you! Sessions can look like the stereotypical you sit on a couch and we talk for an hour, it can look like doing somatic exercises and using movement to support regulation, it can look like making art projects together, or it can look like sitting quietly. Part of my work as your therapist is to help identify what works for you or your child on your process towards healing, and it doesn’t have to be the same every day.

  •  There’s no set time, but I encourage folx to not set super rigid expectations on how quickly change will happen. Healing takes time and work, but I’m here for the journey with you.

  • I like to think of art as a different language for expression. It’s more about the meaning we make from it than whether or not it meets any specific standard or definition of beauty. But we can use whatever medium feels inspiring to you! You don’t have to identify as an artist to be able to use art for healing.

  • I primarily see clients in person out of my office in Berkeley, CA. I also can provide walk-and-talk sessions in parks/nature spaces near my office, which can be a great alternative for people who aren’t up for a traditional therapy setting.

    However, I can also provide telehealth to clients in California if in-person is not accessible or preferable.

Change is possible

Change is possible

Take the next step and schedule a free 15 minute consulation.

hello@micahlessans.com

510-244-4804

Berkeley, CA