Author, Artist, Advocate

Hi, I'm Leesa!

My first name is pronounced just like Lisa, and NOT Leeza or Liza.

I find labels confining as I’m too nuanced and complex to limit myself to one or two nouns. With that said, some nouns that capture what I do are author, artist, storyteller, social historian, behavioral analyst, and researcher.

When I look back at my life, I see some familiar themes. Creativity, curiosity, and innovation capture what holds my attention. 

In particular, I’m fascinated by people’s lived experiences and can become absorbed by their unique stories. How people define their identities given the cultural, societal, and systemic pressures that we face collectively is a source of wonderment to me.

Healing & Hope

 What delights me the most is the way that some are able to choose a life of healing despite the harm that they’ve been subjected to. I learn from their examples so I can guide my clients into doing the same.

This tug of war between the identity that was shed and the one that is hard to find can bring up a bunch of emotions, such as anger, grief, frustration, contempt, and irritation.

Since 2015, I’ve used a trauma-informed approach with my coaching clients to help them find safety and stability in their own bodies. My decades experience playing the organ at funerals and my training as an End-of-Life Doula make me well suited to hold space for grief, mourning, and the complex emotions that come with loss. 

Not only do we mourn the passing of those we love and admire, but we also grieve the loss of plans, stability, specific milestones, savings, and the childhood we missed out on. We also feel sorrow about the things we expected due to following the rules and propping up the status quo.

Finding My Voice

Prior to coming home to my second love, psychology (history is my first), I, too, went through an identity crisis as a cultural exile. 

Although my years in tech were rewarding, automation, algorithms, and artificial intelligence made me realize that my days as a digital diva were numbered. 

I thought I was going to become a travelling evangelist and then a money and sales coach. It wasn’t until I went on a personal Inner Field Trip® that I realized that that’s the person I desperately needed to meet. 

In essence, it’s when I become nobody, I finally found me.

  • Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
  • Languages spoken: English (fluent), French (elementary level), Jamaican Patois (fluent)
  • Social location: Second generation Canadian of Jamaican descent with Nigerian, Cameroonian, Scottish & French ancestry, cisgender, heterosexual, neurodivergent, chronic pain sufferer, Gen X

My Credentials

In Progress – Master of Arts, Counselling Psychology (Yorkville University)

In Progress – Advanced ADHD Certification Course (PESI)

2024 – Externship in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy® (ICEEFT)

2024 – Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), License #16102 (CRPO)

2024 – Ontario Society of Registered Psychotherapists, Member

2024 – Advanced Telemental Health Training (PESI)

2023 – Professional Practice & Jurisprudence (CRPO)

 

 

2023 – Solution-focused Brief Therapy Intensive (The SFU)

2023 – Worker Health & Safety Awareness (Ministry of Labour)

2022 – End-of-Life Doula Training (INELDA)

2021 – The Art of Trauma: Foundations in Expressive Arts (The CREATE Institute)

2021 – Psychological First Aid: Caring for Others (Canadian Red Cross)

2021 – Basics Principles of Somatic Experiencing (Somatic Experiencing International)

1997 – Bachelor of Arts, History (York University) 

 

 

 

 

My Areas of Interest

Here are the things that hold my attention. If you want to learn more, expand each section then click on the Discover More button.

Mental Wellness Advocate

I’m licensed therapist under clinical supervision. While completing the course requirements for my graduate degree, I came across a counselling modality called experiential therapy. The more I studied it, the more it felt like it truly reflected who I am as a therapist.

Experiential therapy is for those who are not able to use words to describe their feelings. The absence of these words may be due to trauma or being raised in a culture that encourages the repression of emotions.

Music, role playing, nature, play, arts, and journaling are incorporated into experiential therapy. While it may not work for everyone, experiential therapy along with talk therapy can influence new actions and create helpful cognitions.

Self-Taught Artist

Expressive arts has become both a hobby and a stress management tool. I use it, primarily, to help me improve and protect my mental wellness. I also use expressive arts with my clients to help them process their experiences without the use of words.

When I’m not using art as a therapeutic tool, I paint in non-representational ways using acrylic paint. I’m eager to share my pieces and you’ll see them on this website and on my socials.

Click here to read about my journey as a self-taught artist who paints non-representational art using acrylics. You’ll also see some of my pieces and discover my artist mission statement.

Multi Award-Winning Author

Self-reflection is a deeply misunderstood skill. Some confuse it with reflection, others believe that it is a goal setting tool.

Through my research and learning company, Inner Field Trip®, I’ve guided tens of thousands of people through “quests” to meet their internal saboteur called the Inner Oppressor so they can release themselves from shame and guilt.

Visit www.innerfieldtrip.com to get a copy of my multi award-winning workbook containing expressive art activities and journaling prompts to help you strengthen your self-reflection skills.

Digital Marketing

In 2017, I was featured on The Legacy Poster which is unveiled every February for Black History Month. The artist, Robert Small, selects people of African descent who have made considerable contributions locally, nationally, and globally, and then features them on the poster.

Being featured represented the highlight of my almost 20-years working in technology. I started developing websites back in the late 90s before becoming a software project manager and then moving on to managing my very own digital marketing company.

I was also the Founding President of a professional organization for Black technology professionals called BITePRO (2000-2005). Even though I no longer work in tech, I’m deeply interested in what’s happening in the space. Marketing content online is my thing and this is an area of expertise that has served me well over the years.