Essence Lee, LCPC

Essence Lee is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois with ten years of practice. She focuses on practical strategies for stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression. She aims to make starting therapy approachable and straightforward for people who feel stuck or overwhelmed.

Her sessions are grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, with mindfulness woven into skill-building work. She helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and habits, then practices small experiments to change them. Conversations are direct and plain, focused on what a person can try between meetings.

Essence encourages clients to build on what already works in their lives. She treats clients as the expert on their own story and looks for strengths to use when facing challenges. The work often includes simple behavior changes, thought work, and brief mindfulness exercises that can fit into a busy day.

People reach out to address grief, mood changes, compassion fatigue, relationship communication and commitment questions, and feelings of emptiness or guilt. She also supports those navigating prejudice, forgiveness, and women's issues. The aim is to reduce burdens and increase practical coping skills.

Essence uses straightforward language and clear goals. She guides clients to try doable steps, track what helps, and adjust plans over time. This keeps therapy focused and relevant to real life.

CBT and Mindfulness Online

Essence uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. CBT breaks problems into small parts, so clients can test changes and track what works for stress, anxiety, mood shifts, and low self-esteem.

She also uses Mindfulness Therapy to teach simple attention and breathing practices. Those exercises help lower reactivity and keep focus during stressful moments, and they pair well with the action steps from CBT.

Finding the right mix of techniques is a collaborative process. The therapist works with each person to set goals, try methods, and adjust the plan based on how things are going. That way the approach fits the client's needs, goals, and preferences rather than being a fixed program.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video is useful for a full session when notes and worksheets are shared. Phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or text messages work well for brief check-ins, skill practice, or a quick mood check during busy days. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, family routines, or other commitments.