Today we’d like to introduce you to Lesley Craton.
Lesley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been passionate about helping others. Compared to my two older sisters, I am the “more sensitive one,” and have strong intuition and empathy for others. Becoming a therapist started from my own journey through grief and trauma. When I was almost three, my mom died while my sisters and I were in her care. This completely impacted the trajectory of my life. In high school was when I started to attend my own counseling, I realized this could be something I want to do when I’m older. My therapist was kind, compassionate and genuinely helped me through my grief and other traumas I experienced. Taking AP psychology in high school, my passion grew and I became more confident that I wanted to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). My career in counseling started at a Non profit in Dallas where I counseled women and teens that had experienced sex trafficking and/or sexual exploitation. During that time there, I obtained extensive training in DBT and EMDR. After three years working for a non profit, I worked at a group practice for a couple of years. In 2024, I branched off and created my own therapy practice, Fellow Traveler Therapy. I specialize in EMDR therapy, a somatic therapy that helps people process past traumas so they are not weighed down by them. In 2021, after my own struggle with postpartum anxiety, I realized the lack of support for mothers and became certified in Perinatal mental Health to help new moms and parents navigate motherhood. Additionally, I enjoy working with couples and have completed level 2 of the Gottman method couples therapy. I am very passionate about what I do and it gives me a lot of meaning in life. I feel honored that I get to walk alongside clients and be a part of their healing journey.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road but it’s been an adventure. Due to losing my mother at such a young age, I struggled with depression throughout my teenage years and anxiety in my young adult years. While doing my LPC internship at the non profit in Dallas, I experienced a toxic work environment due to my supervisor’s leadership. After doing my own EMDR therapy, I realized I didn’t want to keep putting up with her constant criticism. Once I completed my internship for licensure, I asked her for a raise and addressed the favoritism towards a good friend that she hired. After addressing this, I was suddenly told “my clinical skills weren’t up to speed,” and that they were thinking of firing me. This came after years of all positive yearly evaluations. At this point, I was confident about my ability as a therapist. I knew my clients were getting better through self report and their psychological assessments. I knew that I had the most clients “phase up,” in the program. Even HR was in on it with them and I remember her telling me “It would break my heart to have to fire you.” I decided to leave on my own terms (they fired someone before me and she wasn’t able to say goodbye to her clients) so that I could say goodbye to my clients and not leaving them feeling abandoned (a lot struggled with abandonment issues). After I left, I talked with the CEO who had no idea what was going on in the clinical department. After I left, me and several other employees came forward to the board with our stories about the toxic leadership. Unfortunately, no action was taken. This definitely opened my eyes to the “non-profit world,” and I vowed to become a supervisor one day that could support new therapists struggling to navigate leadership issues. Since leaving the non-profit, I excelled in the group practice and am excelling now in my own practice. I’ve had a successful private practice for two years now and at the beginning of this year I became a Licensed Supervisor and am excited to continue this journey.
As you know, we’re big fans of Fellow Traveler Therapy & EMDR Consulting, PLLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I chose the name for my practice because of Yalom’s term he used in the “Gift of Therapy,” “fellow traveler. I see myself as a “fellow traveler,” with clients. I utilize my expertise in an authentic, genuine way. Though I do have confidence in my clinical expertise, I don’t claim to be perfect as a therapist and honor everyone’s “humanness.” I believe we all experience pain in life and are capable of healing and making meaning of our pain.
My specialities include:
-EMDR certified and an EMDR consultant- I work with a lot of PTSD/complex trauma
-Grief/ bereavement
-certified in Perinatal Mental health through Postpartum Support international
-Couples therapy- completed level 2 of the Gottman Method
-Borderline personality Disorder and extensive training in DBT
-Anxiety/ depression
Here is my website if you’d like more information : www.fellowtravelertherapypllc.com
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being able to do a job that makes an impact and gives me meaning makes me happy. I love spending time with my husband and my super cute 4 year old son. I love getting to see my son’s wonder and seeing life through his eyes is magical. I love to travel (hence the name fellow traveler) to beautiful places in nature. On our travels, I enjoy hiking and trying new foods. I have a great supportive group of friends that make me very happy as well. I enjoy exercising as well!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.fellowtravelertherapypllc.com
- Instagram: @fellowtravelertherapypllc
Image Credits
Picture of self- Photographer @arlomoonphotography-Carson Lawson
Logo design- @deardarlingdesignstudio- Dara
