Dr. Michael Lee
If you are experiencing difficulties with anxiety, OCD, PTSD, or a related condition, I am passionate about helping you to achieve the changes you wish to make in your life. My goal is to provide a safe, warm, and affirming environment where your individual experience is validated. However, competent anxiety disorder treatment involves much more than warmth and support. If you are looking for a doctor to treat a broken arm you certainly will want a provider who is kind and empathetic, however even the most empathetic doctor will be ineffective if they do not know how to set a bone and cast an arm. Likewise, I believe that an anxiety disorders specialist should have extensive training in and mastery of efficacious, well-researched treatment approaches in addition to being driven by compassion.
Dr. Michael Lee
Many of my clients have received alternative forms of psychotherapy that they have found to be insufficiently effective, prompting them to contact me. I first consider using evidence-based treatments with a history of rigorously tested efficacy. Instead of simply talking about problems, my clients are actively involved in developing and practicing new behavior patterns that will help them achieve their goals. This work can be difficult but extremely rewarding. I find meaning and enjoyment in helping individuals overcome their fears, resulting in therapeutic interactions that tend to be genuine, fulfilling, and productive. My goal is to make myself irrelevant to you as quickly as possible, and to help you reclaim your life from anxiety, PTSD, or OCD!
Education and Training
I obtained a Ph.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, where I worked in the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders. I completed my pre-doctoral internship at the Austin VA, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at a private practice anxiety clinic in Austin. Prior to transitioning to a career in mental healthcare, I obtained a B.S. in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles and worked as a Mission Control flight controller for the International Space Station.