About Lora Lee

I am a Master’s level psychologist trained in the UK. I also work as a clinical supervisor and parenting coordinator.

I have over ten years of experience working with children, adolescents and their families within a variety of settings, e.g. private practice, nonprofit sector, social work and school settings in the UK and Hong Kong.

I am trained to assess the behavioural patterns of children and respond to what they are communicating through their behaviour and play. I work with children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 19 who are experiencing difficulties in parental divorce, bereavement, self-harm, selective mutism, social anxiety, ADHD, and bullying (being the bully or the victim). I have a special interest in working with children and young people on the Asperger’s Syndrome spectrum.

My practice is based on my training in developmental psychology and psychoanalytic theory with an emphasis on attachment and neurodevelopment. I see each of my clients as a unique person and ground my practice with a holistic focus on their unique perspective, taking into account how each child’s circumstances affect his or her development rather than focusing merely on their symptoms.

My approach stresses the importance of unconscious, past experiences and the family dynamics that collectively shape children’s behaviour. Many undesirable behaviours are triggered by the individual’s environment and can be modified once we discover and address the underlying causes of the behaviour.

In order to understand how the minds of younger children work I use directive play therapy and encourage children to engage with play materials. Communicating through play allows them to process strong feelings that they may find difficult to directly express verbally.

While psychodynamic theory is at the core of my methodology, I also include more directive interventions in the treatment when necessary.

You will also find that I try to avoid the asymmetrical power relationship between therapist and client: I encourage children to draw on their own ability to find destructive patterns in their emotions, thoughts, and beliefs so they can find healthier coping mechanisms instead of setting goals based purely on what I or their parents might think they should achieve.

Qualifications

MSc in Psychoanalytic & Developmental Psychology
The Anna Freud Centre in conjunction with University College
London, UK

MA in Play Therapy

Roehampton University, London, UK

BA in Psychology

York University, Toronto, Canada

Custody Evaluator (NCCE, USA)

Parental Coordinator (USA & Hong Kong)

2010 - present