Meet Grace
(she, her)
Grace Lester is a late-deafened Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) who is fluent in American Sign Language.
Grace approaches her clinical work from an anti-carceral and decolonial framework. She is passionate about working with individuals impacted by the prison industrial complex, as well as those seeking to explore decolonial perspectives in their healing journeys. She creates space for clients to engage in therapy beyond language-based communication, incorporating somatic (body-based) practices, art, and other experiential approaches to deepen self-awareness and connection.
Grace has experience facilitating group interventions using art and recreational methods. Her work is grounded in the belief that healing can occur through multiple pathways, and she collaborates with clients to identify the tools and approaches that feel most meaningful to them.
Her practice is informed by Logotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Grace does not view therapy as a way to eliminate pain, but as a space to cultivate meaning, resilience, and purpose—even in the midst of oppression and struggle. She believes each client is the expert on their own lived experience and works alongside them to support values-driven change.
Grace is committed to providing care within a Deaf-centered, linguistically accessible, and culturally affirming therapeutic environment.
She is currently accepting clients in Maryland, Texas, Illinois, and Virginia.
EDUCATION
- Master of Social Work (MSW), Transforming Justice Program (Clinical Emphasis), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Gallaudet University, Washington, DC
