Lee Thao
Counselor/Therapist | Mental Health
2345 Rice Street SAINT PAUL Minnesota, 55113About
Lee Thao is a Therapist in SAINT PAUL, MN. Lee creates individualized therapy plans for each client as each client's situation is unique and requires different treatment. Lee is trained in a variety of theaputic approaches and interventions. She works with individuals, families, and couples. She is also fluent in Hmong and provides therapy in Hmong.
Education and Training
SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY OF MIN MA 2018
Provider Details
Lee Thao's Expert Contributions
What is the treatment for schizophrenia?
It is common for Antipsychotic medications to be used for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that has no cure. It causes symptoms of psychosis, including hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking and speech, abnormal behaviors, and changes in emotional affect. Antipsychotic medications can effectively treat the symptoms and behaviors associated with schizophrenia. READ MORE
Does cognitive-behavioral therapy help with aggression?
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can help with aggression. CBT teaches individuals how to regulate their frustration, improve their social problem-solving skills, and role-play assertive behaviours that can be used during conflicts instead of aggression. CBT helps individuals identify and change negative beliefs, thoughts, and patterns that add to unfavourable behaviours. READ MORE
What does a psychologist do for learning disabilities?
There are several things a psychologist can do to help someone with learning disabilities. Psychologists are trained primarily to do both intellectual and educational testing and can also assess emotional functioning. They can provide assessments of learning and school-related problems to help individuals and caregivers understand the challenges that an individual may encounter when learning, processing, understanding, and making sense of information. Psychologists can make recommendations about resources and treatments that can help individuals with learning disabilities, such as accommodations in academic settings, work, or home to assist with learning new information. They can provide therapy or recommend home and community-based services to help with emotional and behavioural problems evolving from distress. READ MORE
What techniques are used in family therapy?
There are a variety of techniques that can be used in family therapy. Four well-known models of family therapy techniques are: structural, Bowenian, strategic and systematic. Structural family therapy theorises that the family structure is responsible for its problems, and the family system must work together to change. In structural family therapy, the therapist directs the family toward change within the session. Bowenian, also known as intergenerational family therapy, the goal of treatment is to help the individual differential from the family and recognise the dynamics in the family system that contributes to the individual's thoughts and feelings about themselves and help them to become their person separate from the family but also cultivating relationships. This often includes using genograms to identify patterns within family systems. Strategic family therapy believes that the family maintains problems through repeated responses to family interactions. Strategic family therapy helps families to change behaviour patterns by creating new answers to behavioural issues). Most of the work in Strategic family therapy is done outside the therapy session. Systemic family therapy helps families evaluate their behaviours and how issues develop and is maintained in the family system. Systemic family therapy believes that changing one person’s actions can alter the entire family system because everyone is interconnected. The primary systemic family therapy technique is circular questioning. Circular questions help family members consider others' thoughts and feelings and start to see the connections between family members. These family systems therapy techniques include psychoeducation, which aims to improve communication, teach alternative healthy coping skills, and offer collaboration among family members. READ MORE
Areas of expertise and specialization
Professional Memberships
- American Psychological Association
Lee Thao's Practice location
Transcendence Psychological Services and Wellness
2345 Rice Street -SAINT PAUL, Minnesota 55113Get Direction
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Get to know Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Lee Thao, who serves patients in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Lee Thao is a licensed professional clinical counselor, a licensed alcohol drug counselor, and a certified clinical trauma professional. She is the Owner & Operator of Transcendence Psychological Services & Wellness, LLC in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
With over 25 years of experience in medical, mental health, and social service, she works with clients of all ages, including children, adolescents, young adults, adults, couples, and families. She operates from a person center, strengths-based, trauma-informed care lens and utilizes various intervention techniques to help individuals identify goals, gain insight, and move towards healing.
“I believe recovery and healing is an ongoing individualized journey that requires support, patience, and work. I am passionate about helping individuals move toward living their best life. This journey looks very different for everyone, and everyone’s path is as unique as theirs. I do this by helping individuals define what is important to them and the steps they would like to bring their visions to life. I am honored to walk with you on your journey towards recovery, healing, and living the best life you deserve” as stated by Lee Thao.
Offering a space for individuals to learn, grow, and be healthy, she has a special interest in immigrant/refugee mental health, acculturation difficulties; maternal mental health, parenting difficulties, teen parents, and senior parents; parents with children with developmental disabilities or medically complicated conditions; premarital and marital issues; women’s issues, health challenges, infertility; grief and loss, miscarriages, infant & child loss; and life transitions/roles & identity.
Although her primary focus is trauma, she specializes in working with individuals who are experiencing difficulties with relationships, anxiety, excessive worrying, overthinking, sadness, irritability, frustration, guilt, stress, and trauma; who are motivated yet feel unfulfilled and overwhelmed; and who have experience life difficulties, such as transitions and life changes, loss, abusive relationships, and traumatic and stressful experiences.
Holding a Master’s in Counseling Psychological Services and Addiction Studies from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Lee Thao is trained in multiple therapeutic modalities, including Adaptive Internal Relational Network (AIR) Therapy.
She is passionate about working with individuals who identified as BIPOC, working with immigrant refugees – first and second-generation immigrants, as well as helping clients find their voice, supporting them in feeling empowered, and helping them navigate, define/ redefine their identities, and celebrate an inclusive and representative culture of who they are as a whole.
“As someone who has navigated the challenges of relationships, grief, and loss and worked through her trauma, It brings me joy and makes my heart smile to help individuals work through trauma to move toward finding happiness in their life again. Trauma work is hard work and challenging. I enjoy assisting clients in letting go of parts that have brought them pain and discomfort and discovering new aspects of themselves so they can start living a life that no longer feels tied down by their trauma” expressed the doctor.
Continuously advancing her efforts, Lee Thao is an active member of the American Counseling Association and the American Psychological Association.
Psychology is the science of behavior and mind. It includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope. Psychologists assess, diagnose, and treat the psychological problems and behavioral dysfunctions resulting from, or related to, physical and mental health. In addition, they play a major role in the promotion of healthy behavior, preventing diseases and improving patients’ quality of life.
A 1.5-generation Hmong American, Lee Thao immigrated to the United States at the age of 7 and lived in Billings, Montana, for about 1.5 years before moving to St. Paul, Minnesota where she spent her elementary years in Frogtown & middle and high school years in West St. Paul.
Growing up in these two environments allowed her to witness firsthand some of the challenges BIPOC and refugee/immigrant families face as they navigate various systems (educational, medical, mental health, work, and social) while trying to achieve a better life for themselves and their families.
Her relationships with diverse communities allowed her to engage in friendship development, embrace, and appreciate cultures different from her own.
“Contrary to what it feels like at times – we have choices, and we CAN make changes. We can lessen fears and symptoms by building up our tools to better engage with others and understand ourselves in a much more authentic and meaningful way. I am here and honored to be a part of that journey” she stated.
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