Spring Ridge Academy welcomes Desiree Lewis, MPC to the clinical team. Desiree brings over sixteen years of clinical practice and a breadth of therapeutic modalities. Her philosophy is that people must be healthy in mind, body, and spirit to live up to their full potential. She shares in Spring Ridge Academy’s emphasis on being grounded in one’s body and using visual and expressive arts to heal and build resilience. Desiree has been working in in-patient treatment using a holistic approach to help clients heal from addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and chronic pain.
Desiree grew up in New York City, where she developed a passion for dance and fine arts. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Arizona State University. Desiree was always moving and teaching others how to connect with their bodies. She opened one of the first yoga studios in the Phoenix Metro Area. Through teaching yoga, Desiree grew more aware of the mind-body connection and how connecting with the breath and releasing tension from the body released emotions. Desiree wanted to learn more about the “yoga” union of the mind, body, and spirit and decided to pursue her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling at the Arizona School of Professional Psychology. She went on to obtain a Mind-Body Practitioner Certification from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and a graduate certificate in Health Psychology from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Desiree leads by example and brings grounding energy to her clients.
About Spring Ridge Academy
Spring Ridge combines a clinically sophisticated therapeutic approach and rigorous college-prep academics. Not only are students immersed in an environment dedicated to fostering maturity and confidence, but the entire family is also included in the process. SRA students are bright, creative, unique individuals who are struggling to manage their lives. Often these young women are involved in a variety of destructive or avoidant behaviors and are in danger of sabotaging their relationships and academic careers. The SRA student is capable and talented but lacks the self-esteem and self-discipline necessary to succeed. Many of the young women who come to SRA may be struggling with one or more of the following: Trauma, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, family conflict, defiance, entitlement, isolation, grief and loss, negative peer group, technology abuse, academic underachievement, substance abuse, attachment/adoption issues, and managing relationships. Families who are appropriate for Spring Ridge Academy are willing and able to see the important role family systems play in the change process and follow treatment recommendations.
Our therapeutic approach utilizes a combination of family systems and developmental models to create a comprehensive scope of treatment and preparation to return to the demands of life after treatment in an atmosphere of change, collaboration, and hope.