Dr. Desiree LeBoeuf

I'm a North Country native and Licensed Psychologist who is committed to increasing access to psychological services across the North Country and beyond. I see the therapeutic alliance as essential to effective therapy and the therapist-client relationship as the vehicle through which change occurs. Although I appreciate the utility of a here-and-now focus, the impact of early childhood experiences plays a significant role in the ways that we think, feel, and act, especially the ways that we think and feel about ourselves and significant others. I strive to create a therapeutic (or holding) environment in which clients can explore the impact their life experiences (including trauma) and interpersonal relationships have on their day to day functioning, and to gain insight regarding the recurring thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that maintain their symptoms and interfere with their well-being. I utilize motivational interviewing techniques such as open-ended questions, affirming techniques, reflective listening, and summarizing to evoke intrinsic motivation for change, and cognitive behavioral techniques to help clients change the ways that they think, feel, and act. I also work with clients to develop and utilize behavior management techniques (e.g., reinforcement contingencies) to facilitate behavioral change. When working with couples or families, I adopt a systems perspective to account for the interconnectedness of the family unit as well as the sociocultural context in which the family is embedded.