Hi! I’m Lexi (she/they), and I’m excited to meet you. I’ll start this introduction with the basic information - Although I was born in Colorado Springs, I was raised in Northern Virginia for most of my life before moving to El Paso, Texas in 2017. While in El Paso, I worked at a non-profit for about 4 years as the Office Manager and the Middle School Coordinator for an after-school program. This is where I learned about community development, racial/social/economic justice, and caring for clients experiencing marginalization and oppression. I worked closely with families along the U.S./Mexico border, offering case management, food/rental assistance, and educational support. 

After working for a few years post under-grad, I decided to go back to school. I graduated with my Master of Social Work in 2021 at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM and currently have my License in Social Work. When I moved to Fort Collins in 2021, I worked as a middle school social worker and school bus driver (fun fact!) for the Poudre School District and am grateful for the connections made in the community. I then switched to outpatient mental health therapy due to the ability to build, grow, and nurture relationships over a longer period of time. My experiences living in different parts of the states taught me different cultural expectations and perspectives - from the East Coast busy city life, to the desert Southwest, to the more mountainous West - each place has its own beauty and hardships that impacts my lens of the world. 

During my career, I have worked with clients who identify as a person of color, navigating their identity and world through code switching, and carrying the impacts of emotional and/or physical trauma. As a person of color myself (I identify as half Korean), I use my experience to empathize with others who often feel invisible, or endure the hurt of being seen as “other.” I also am a person still exploring their gender and identity, and how my being relates to this world. I have grown up in religious spaces where harm was done, and am still exploring the impacts it has on me. I am a recovering high functioning individual with a strong perfectionist part, a recovering people-pleaser learning to set boundaries, and a recovering anxiously-attached human with a sprinkle of avoidance. I share this with you to invite you into my humanness. I am not perfect, in fact, far from it. I use my personal experiences to build authentic connections. 

My therapeutic approach is person-centered, non-judgmental, and relationship-focused. I often use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), CAMS-care (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality), Attachment Theory, Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT), Narrative Therapy, and some elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). My experience is working with the LGBTQIA+ community, trauma, loss and grief, and people experiencing major life transitions. I connect strongly with experiences related to a lack of emotional attunement from caregivers, and will offer the validation of your lived experiences. While all of this sounds fancy, ultimately, I like to say that what I offer is focused and attuned presence with you. I look at the wider picture, which means I want to understand all parts of an individual’s life and how it impacts them. I have been told that I offer a warm, cozy, and inviting environment. Sometimes we sit with snacks and drinks, and sometimes we go outside for a walk. Let us figure out what is needed one step at a time!

In my free time and outside of therapy, I love to hike with my partner and husky, cuddle with my cat, read endless amounts of books, and practice my Spanish-speaking skills (it’s bare minimum right now, and I hope to offer therapeutic services in Spanish one day). I watch too many TikTok videos and am a huge fan of restful sleep. I am learning how to skate to eventually be on the Roller Derby team. I am an adventure lover - traveling to new cities, exploring new coffee shops and food places, or attending a special experience is something that brings me joy. I look forward to sharing a space with you as we learn and grow together.