Lesley has over a decade of experience working in the mental health field, many of these years with adolescents, young adults, and their families at various stages in treatment. These include a therapeutic boarding school, wilderness-based program, college counseling center, and community based mental health organizations in Arizona and Colorado. Through these, she received training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and experiential nature-based therapy interventions. Her background in community based mental health with domestic violence and sexual assault victims focused on trauma-informed care.

While pursuing a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Prescott College, Lesley developed a passion for clinical trauma treatment, family systems, attachment theory, and neurobiology that have become the foundation for her clinical lens working with clients. Her approach as a clinician, however, is inherently relational and person-centered as she believes fundamentally, we as humans are all seeking to be seen, heard, understood, and valued. Prior to working at Pacific Quest, she worked with adolescents, young adults, and their families at a wilderness-based program providing family therapy as part of family programming as well as offering individual therapy, group therapy, and clinical assessment in collaboration with other clinicians.

Lesley chose to work as a clinician for Pacific Quest because she aligns with the nature-based therapy, whole person wellness, group process, and family participation during treatment that Pacific Quest provides. Currently, she is undergoing certification in Somatic Experiencing, a body-centered modality and neurobiological approach to trauma treatment.

When not working, Lesley loves outdoor adventure, traveling internationally, paddle boarding, yoga, cooking, dancing, and singing while playing the guitar. She has a cat she adores and a passion for learning about the natural environment.