Staff Highlights: Pam Leslie, MSW, LISW-S

Pam Leslie, MSW, LISW-S

Clinical Mental Health Therapist (she, her, hers)

Pam brings a wealth of experience from her work in culturally sensitive community mental health, specializing in helping adults, couples, and families navigate complex mental health challenges.

Trained in EMDR and with expertise in schizophrenia, Pam’s approach blends evidence-based techniques with a deep commitment to her clients’ growth and healing.

Her current specializations include depression, body image concerns, life transitions, interpersonal relationships, codependency, and trauma.

Pam’s practice is rooted in an integrated mind-body-spirit approach, offering clients a holistic path to wellness and healing.

Books and Resources Recommended by Pam

It has been deeply rewarding and fulfilling to be working in clinical social work since 2016.  It was an unexpected opportunity, and it has been a life-changing journey.  It’s important to share the perspective I have gained from this work, although I grew up with a mother who was a case management social worker, which has been a plus for doing this work.

Initially I trained in grief and loss, starting with the study of thanatology in my undergraduate work.  This has proven to be an area of therapy that has been beneficial for clients who have experienced any type of loss.  But, understanding the impact of types of death, and how to provide therapeutic interventions has been important. 

A text that was important from the beginning is understanding the cultural considerations, especially in the U.S.  The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker was a required reading, but for client’s I have often used The Four Things That Matter Most by Dr. Ira Byock beneficial for clients in anticipatory death, along with understanding the theoretical perspective by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. 

Finally, in providing clients with the appropriate interventions for the experiences in loss and death, understanding and applying the practices as outlined in Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy by J. William Worden has been the most beneficial.  These methods were required in my first internship.

In my second internship, I was fortunate to be able to work with veterans, and I was able to apply grief and loss to understanding the connection to attachment theory and depression.  I also began learning ways to apply the appropriate interventions for addiction, which I found typically co-occurring. 

Before completing my master’s at OSU, I learned the value of workbooks, including The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction by Rebecca E. Williams and Julie Kraft.  This workbook includes the training I gained in ACT, CBT, and DBT, and provides important exercises in helping clients understand the underlying causes of their experiences with addiction.

Working in my first licensed practice with clients in community settings, I also gained experience and knowledge in providing interventions for serious mental illness, along with personal experiences with my own family.  Community based social work involved therapy, case management and understanding the connection in the need for higher levels of care and understanding medication management.  

During this time, I trained with Suzi Rutti in EMDR for providing trauma intervention.  This area of practice continues to evolve and improve, as well as all the aforementioned areas of practice.  My favorite go to workbooks during this time, and they continue to be, are The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workbook by McKay, Wood and Brantley, and Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Stephen Hayes, and several other texts as a point of reference.  Researching new information and resources for clients has been an ongoing process.

I continue to engage in lifelong learning as required for this work including understanding the role of providing care as associated with helping clients understand deficiencies and ability to metabolize the appropriate medications.  This includes providing information for addressing nutritional needs with the appropriate referrals.  Genetic testing is fast becoming a new method of intervention, with the help of higher-level care from a physician.

Finally, in my practice with Holistic Consultation, the most rewarding and valuable training has been understanding the impact of colonization on populations of color, women, and the LGBTQ.  Decolonizing Therapy for Black Folks training by Shawna Murray-Browne was outstanding and has impacted my entire view of ways to provide therapy for all clients, especially in being an African American Woman. 

It is especially a stark reminder of the present sociopolitical climate in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which is unbelievable from the historical perspective, which I have gained much experience as I approach turning 70.  Women’s rights are directly associated with “embodied healing of modern and historic trauma” as discussed by Shawna Murray-Browne, and as driven by Liberation Focused psychology.

Sincerely,

Pamela D. Leslie, MSW, LISW-S

Ohio and Florida

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