HBH is excited to welcome our newest Family and Couples counselor, Lesley Salisbury, LMHC.

Lesley is a first-generation American, a Black female therapist, and a single mother of three; she is someone who understands the complexity of how identity, culture, and lived experience intersect with mental health.

Lesley brings years of experience and a refreshing honesty to their work that many clients are looking for and can benefit from.

Coming from Experience

Lesley was always the person people went to for advice; she had the kind of presence that strangers felt comfortable telling their life story to.

She figured that taking a Psychology course her senior year of high school was the first step in exploring this potential career. She was interested in understanding how people worked and, in particular, was looking for answers to her own family’s dysfunction. 

The validating and comforting answer she got: “My family is not the only one who is kinda wack.”

Lesley initially studied Human Resource Management in college, but quickly realized her natural instincts towards helping others were better suited elsewhere. She went on to earn her bachelor’s from Nichols College, her master’s at Barry University, and received her Marriage and Family Therapy licensure at Eastern Quincy College.

Seeing Clients in 360

Lesley’s early career began in group home settings, working closely with children and families in every aspect of daily life—school, home dynamics, emotional regulation, and long-term treatment planning. This experience shaped their belief in seeing clients as whole people, not just a diagnosis or symptom list.

While clinical work often only gives one lens to see a client through, it provides something equally valuable: flexibility, autonomy, and deeper one-on-one connections. 

Today, Lesley practices primarily through telehealth therapy, combining her favorite parts of both settings: structure, accessibility, and meaningful progress.

Someone To Rely On

Clients often describe Lesley as feeling like a trusted “big sister” or supportive confidant. She listens deeply, asks the right questions, and offers honest feedback when it matters most.

Rather than leading with rigid agendas or clinical jargon, Lesley focuses on:

• Building a strong rapport
• Matching each client’s communication style (casual, professional, or somewhere in between)
• Creating a collaborative, judgment-free space
• Identifying what they want from therapy, what “being done” would look like, and how to get there at a pace that feels realistic.

What to Expect in Your First Therapy Session

Lesley intentionally does not review intake paperwork before the first session. Why? To avoid assumptions and meet each client exactly where they are.

Early sessions for individual therapy focus on:

• Your personal therapy history
• What’s bringing you to therapy now
• Your goals and markers of success
• Evidence-based assessments like the PHQ-9 and GAD-7

Family and Couples therapy with Lesley is structured, intentional, and practical. Early sessions may include ice-breaker games or quizzes that help her identify each partner’s communication style and love languages.

Lesley will also lay down clear expectations for the following sessions, including explaining the vocabulary and structure, as well as boundaries and fair-fighting rules.

The Hard Truth

Lesley is clear about her role in couples therapy: her job is not to keep couples together, but to help partners live happier, healthier lives, together or apart.

Lesley says she won’t pick sides or work harder than the clients themselves: “I have no dog in this fight,” she explained. If clients want to see progress, they must put in the work both inside and outside the session. 

Once you get to know her, Lesley can be blunt at times when she deems it safe and necessary: “I’m not going to hurt your feelings, but I’ll prepare you for the day I give the hard truth.”

Her strategy is often referred to as “Lesley-isms” by her clients. She has clients think about what she would say in response to them, leading them to self-correct even outside the sessions.

Let’s Talk About Sex Therapy

Lesley is especially skilled at intimacy counseling and helping couples talk openly about sex. Many clients struggle to bring up intimacy issues like desire discrepancy, even though it’s often a core reason they seek therapy.

She addresses these issues directly and without discomfort, and with the proper vocabulary. 

Sexual dysfunction therapy is for more than just couples, too, as it can include: painful intercourse, erectile dysfunction, sexual trauma, and LGBTQ+ affirming sex therapy.

Lesley isn’t easily offended and wants her clients to feel comfortable and safe to open up to her. She ensures that clients understand that nothing they say to her will make her judge them.

 

Looking for Couples Counseling or a Family Therapist?

You may be a great fit for working with Lesley if you’re looking for:

• Couples therapy with structure, honesty, and real tools
• Support navigating intimacy issues and sexual dysfunction concerns
• Family therapy that looks at the whole picture
• A therapist who is direct, collaborative, and human

Lesley offers accessible, telehealth therapy in multiple languages for couples and families, as well as individual therapy.

HBH is very excited to have Lesley join our team! If you’re just as excited, you can request an appointment with Lesley Salisbury, LMHC online or call (413) 343-4357.

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