Meet Chelsie Lawson

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chelsie Lawson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chelsie below.

Chelsie , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I gain resilience by observing and being inspired by the people around me, both professionally and personally. All we have to do to feel downtrodden and hopeless is turn on the news, so my focus has been looking at those around me. I see grit, hope, heart, community and a desire for wellness. My resilience is build by my life partner, my family, my friends, my colleagues, and my patients. We are in this world together and we can help unburden each other.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

As a therapist, both in my clinic and in my private practice, my goal is to provide hope, support, unburdening, guidance, and unconditional regard for those that are trying to understand themselves and their world. My professional life has been winding; I have worked with domestic violence and sexual assault survivor, human trafficking survivors, single parents facing homelessness, survivors of the holocaust, refugees. I have worked at Children’s hospital in ICU settings, providing emotional support to parents, patients and the medical team during families’ most vulnerable and terrible moments of their lives.

My “brand” if I could synthesize my work is to assist in the process of removing the layers that impact connection. My hope is that people learn that they are not alone, they are not crazy, they are not broken and that they are deeply lovable (by themselves and others)

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I took a long time getting where I am, and I am not done. I still have so much learning to do. My biggest take away were the following 1. ask questions, no matter how stupid 2. don’t be afraid to make mistakes (its a given, so take it as an opportunity to learn) 3. say yes to opportunities.

I have been asked to speak as a guest lecturer, a panel speaker at a conference (they’re coming up this year) while those endeavors add work to my busy life and elicit internal GI distress, they’re opportunities to learn, share my knowledge, and get my message out there. Along this line, I often find myself stuck with the sentiment that I am not worthy of the inquiries and time. I am no expert in anything, I am no more knowledgeable than the next therapists. There are better people out there. While I actually believe those things wholeheartedly (Brene Brown anyone?), I also know that if everyone thinks this way, then no-one will say yes to the opportunities to share their knowledge, which might be worth more than you think. So, don’t get wrapped up on whether you are good enough for the opportunity, and ask yourself does it excite you? Will you learn? Will it help others? If those things are true, go for it. The worst thing that can happen is that you learn a lot.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I was the beneficiary of parents who nurtured and loved me. I was raised in a home where my safety and wellbeing was prioritized, The most impact thing they taught me was to remain curious, kindhearted and to take responsibility for myself. While life was not always easy (we did not have wealth), they modeled introspection, compassion, curiosity, apology, and change. They taught me how to grow (even when I am defended, sad, and hurt). What a gift.

Image Credits

The work I do with patients is confidential, so I do not have photos of my work, however, I hope the photos show my spirit, my love for nature and life!