25 Years Exp - LCSW
Leslie E. Perez
25 Years Exp
LCSW
29 specialities
Accepts insurance
Telehealth appointments throughout
Call us for details on 25 Years Exp
LCSW29 specialitiesAccepts insurance
Leslie E. Perez
Hello there, my name is Leslie Perez (formerly Dinkins), and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker out of North Georgia. I have worked in the field of social work in some capacity since the year 2000. I’ve worked as a counselor for much of my career and have also worked as a Community Outreach Director for domestic violence victims, as well as worked in and around the criminal and civil court systems around Metro Atlanta. I’ve been told all my life that I am very easy to talk to and, professionally, I have worked with folks of all kinds with all kinds of issues. I also love to learn and have a lot of training under my belt. I think finding the right therapist is like finding the right hair stylist- they may not all be a good fit, but when you find one that understands your head you can finally breathe a sigh of relief because you know you’re in the right hands. Reaching out for help takes a lot of gumption, as does following through. You are on the right path! I would love to see if I am the right therapist to walk with you on your journey!
I had a client that was in a very emotionally, mentally and psychologically abusive relationship and would self-harm quite severely. I saw them for about a year and during that time they did a lot of work on themselves and how they viewed what their role was and wasn’t in all their relationships, as well as who they were and wanted to be outside of all their ‘roles’. They were able to successfully stop self-harming for over a decade now. They were also able to leave the relationship for good and have a great relationship with their own self and their children today.
While everyone’s individual experiences are different, we all tend to show patterns in the way we process our thoughts and feelings. I can help bring awareness to those patterns, as well as the beliefs behind them that then fuel the thoughts and the feelings and, usually, the actions. We can evaluate whether these patterns and beliefs were useful and still are or not. I’m also all for brainstorming potential practical solutions to issues and HOMEWORK!
A first session with me would be going over some history and getting an idea of what brings the client to counseling and what their goals, both short and long term may be. I also like to talk about what kind of style of counseling may work best for them and any counseling experiences they may have had in the past.
I love seeing people’s ‘aha’ moments- particularly the positive ones, when they open the door to their potential. We all have our own mysteries and I love helping people figure theirs out so they can move towards their goals in life more freely.
Highlights
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
My desire is that clients come away from our sessions with contemplative hope, having learned something, with something to practice between sessions and a bit of homework. I also expect them to be able to breathe deeply and have their shoulders relaxed and not up by their ears.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
I use a variety of treatment methods like cognitive behavioral, acceptance, trauma centered, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), person centered, humanistic, Gestalt, eclectic and homework. I am extremely likely to send you something to read, usually only a page or two.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My biggest strength as a counselor is listening without judgment. I have counseled and worked with people from every background possible and that saying that ‘everyone is fighting a secret battle…’ is 1000% true. The most training and experience I have is working with folks that have substance abuse issues and folks that have trauma issues- every kind of traumatic and distressing issue you can think of- nothing is too severe and nothing is too “small”. I am trained in EMDR as a Level II. I have also worked around the American civil and criminal court system for 20yrs and can help process that experience, as well. I welcome anyone who wants to work towards positive change and would be honored to assist on your journey.
Specialities
