Sam Lee, LPC
austin, tx
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) serving clients in the Austin area. I specialize in issues of relational dynamics, trauma & abuse, anxiety & depression, identity & culture, and spirituality.
About Sam (click more)
I am a husband and father of two. I developed my therapeutic mind at The Seattle School, where I attained my Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology as well as a Master of Divinity degree. I chose bamboo as my central imagery that guides how I see the therapeutic process. Bamboo is a paradoxical plant that is able to be strong and resilient, firm enough to be used to build houses, while also flexible and soft enough to eat. It can bend with the wind but not break. A good therapist needs to combine two seemingly polar forces of being strong and firm but malleable and offer tender care for the client. That is what I hope to embody as a therapist.
How I View Therapy (click more)
As humans, we emote facial expressions that are interconnected with our emotional brain (limbic system). What is fascinating is that we cannot see our own face, rather we interpret our experiences by the way our brain reads another's face. From early childhood, we construct what is an "acceptable" face to show others relationally and culturally. We long to bring our true faces to our relational world but often find incongruence and heartache by the way our faces have been received. As a relational therapist, I believe that the therapeutic relationship plays an integral part in healing and transformation.
> "Never, never for the sake of (false) peace, deny your own experience" - Dag Hammarkold
We long to be seen well and have our experiences heard, but are often met with resistance, shame, or a rah rah response like, "You'll be fine" or "It could be worse". You are here because you do not want to settle for superficiality. You long for a richer and a deeper sense of self and meaningful relationship with others. Our work together will entail addressing your present day concerns, while exploring the context of your family of origin, early childhood, and interpersonal dynamics.
I am often told that I bring “a calming presence and a gentle boldness.” Growth happens interpersonally. I am excited for the possibility of working with you!
“Sam Lee is a kind, wise man whose therapeutic gifts are profound. As a leader in the Allender Center I have seen Sam’s commitment to enter the deepest heartache of his clients to engage the internal war that keeps the heart from being free.”
“Sam is a great therapist, good at getting to the heart of the issue even when it isn’t what it appeared to be at the start.”
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Sam who is an insightful, compassionate, thoughtful clinician. Children and families find healing through his work of building meaningful and therapeutic relationships. ”