About Me

Background:

Hi, my name is Seong Yeop Lee, but I usually go by Sam, which was a name given by my neighbors when I immigrated to the US from South Korea at the age of 9.

The act of being given a name where it was easier to pronounce for the regular English speaker, serves as the beginning of a unique journey embarked by the various intersecting identities soon to be developed and manifested as I acculturated myself in a new country, culture, and language.

It has been a journey marked by an endless attempt of radical acceptance of the things I cannot change, and coming to make peace with my intersecting identities. It took time and processing of my own journey and place in this country to truly understand and appreciate being a 1.5 generation Korean-American, embodying both languages, cultures, and identity equally important that makes me who I am today.

Early on, my parents were called to ministry as pastors, hence leading to our immigration to the US, which exposed me to the complexities around the Korean-American immigrant church experience - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I have done my own work of deconstructing my faith (still ongoing!) that is based more on sound theology, rather than an infusion of unhealthy and toxic cultural and familial messages as well as practices that have tainted who God really is.

Furthermore, growing up with changes to one’s visa, and ultimately becoming undocumented, created another layer of uncertainties and an array of barriers when navigating life in the US. This experience has planted a deep sense of empathy and an in-depth understanding of the immigrant experience, those who rarely feel they are part of American society, in particular, due to legal status issues.

Why I became a therapist:

I have been fascinated and interested in human behavior and the reasonings behind them starting at a young age, which were fueled by strong values of justice and equity.

My innate qualities and lived experiences have shaped my interest and passion towards the world of mental health and therapy. In particular, I have personally experienced and witnessed the need for culturally relevant and responsive mental health services within the API community mainly due to the stigmas and taboos associated with mental health and seeking services in our community.

Many were suffering in silence, alone, for too long. My background involved advocating for immigrant rights and immigration reform, bilingual and bicultural mental health services, and my heart lies in wanting to uplift and empower those who embody intersecting identities including one’s cultural/ethnic/racial identity, sexuality, legal status, and faith/spirituality that have caused deep pain and conflict in their life.

As I have partook in my own healing journey unpacking and understanding my lived experiences, I, too, want to give back and provide a similar experience for those awaiting to rewrite their narrative and story as well.

This is what inspires me to be a social worker and therapist!

My approach to therapy:

I take a more eclectic approach, where I draw from a multitude of modalities, interventions, and techniques that best meets your needs, situation, and experiences. I will meet you where you are at. This involves walking alongside adjusting the speed that feels most comfortable for you where you are not rushed or feeling like you are being stagnant/not moving along.

My therapeutic style consists of building a strong therapeutic relationship where you feel safe, comfortable, seen, and heard. In addition, I try my best to not only actively listen but create a balanced session where I am also reflecting back on your experiences with appropriate feedback, redirection, guidance, questions, and may engage in challenging/probing to further elicit change and growth in the proper moments.

I take a more collaborative and empowerment approach where I may not necessarily hand out the “answers”, but guide you to discover and come to your own resolutions and answers. This doesn’t mean I completely refrain from providing my own insight and feedback when necessary. Clients whom I have worked with often showed positive therapeutic outcomes and expressed their confidence in doing therapy with me as their therapist from start to finish.

What I like to do for fun:

As a creative, you can often find me enjoying playing various instruments including the piano, cello, and singing!

On the weekends, I try to retreat back from reality and go cafe hunting around LA to read through my never-ending list of books ranging from a variety of genres.

I also appreciate taking aesthetically pleasing pictures, and love the hustle bustle nature of the city life and people watching!

Quotes I find inspiring:

“Therapy is about understanding the self that you are. But part of getting to know yourself is to unknown yourself - to let go of the limiting stories you’ve told yourself about who you are so that you aren’t trapped by them, so you can live your life and not the story you’ve been telling yourself about your life”

- Lori Gottlieb