Meet Grace
(she, her)
Grace Lester (she/her) is a late-deafened Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) fluent in American Sign Language.
Grace approaches clinical interventions from an anti-carceral and anti-genocidal standpoint, and is passionate about working with people who have been impacted by the prison industrial complex people who are seeking to develop de-colonial perspectives in their healing journey. She has experience leading group interventions using art and recreational methods, and she believes that it is not always necessary to engage in therapy through language-based communication. She welcomes clients to explore with her somatic (body-based) practices, art exercises, and other means by which we may become more attuned with ourselves and the world around us.
A variety of modalities inspire Grace's practice as she works together with clients to determine the most meaningful tools for developing harmony and cultivating joy. In particular, Grace draws upon principles of Logotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Based on these modalities, Grace does not promise that engaging in therapy will relieve a person of all pain, but that together we can find meaning, healing, and purpose even in the midst of pain, oppression, and struggle. Grace believes that each client she meets is the expert on their own lived experiences, and she seeks to work beside them, providing tools and strategies that will equip them to better understand and commit to live by their values. Grace is currently accepting clients from Maryland, Texas, Illinois, and Virginia. Pronouns are she/her.
EDUCATION
- Masters of Social Work, Transforming Justice program of study/clinical emphasis, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Bachelor of Social Work, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC
