Lee Start they/them MSW, LICSW, LADC

Lee Start is a therapist and alcohol and drug counsellor in Minneapolis, MN. They began with a degree in theology and youth ministry from a tiny bible college in 2004. After many service industry years, navigating deconstruction in a silo, and exploring their trans/genderqueer identity, they went back to school in 2017 and, somehow, completed their masters in social work in 2020; in the midst of a global pandemic and uprising mobilized by the murder of George Floyd.

In January 2020 they started their first therapy group for queer/trans/gender expansive folks navigating religious trauma which continues on a biannual basis. They have facilitated both deconstruction and spiritual abuse support groups for LGBTQIA+ individuals through Reclamation Collective. Their goals include continuing to expand accessible supports for the unique intersections of experience with queer identity and religious trauma.

Their practice also involves supporting the trans and gender non-conforming communities in navigating our broken systems to access the care they need, working with survivors of gender and sexual-based violence, folks experiencing disordered eating, and activists navigating their own mental health while doing important community-based work.

Lee is passionate about harm reduction, abolition, and exploring how to attempt ethical work within systems that are actively harming us all. Lee works at a non profit supporting those living with HIV and the LGBTQIA+ community in the Twin Cities, and is proudly on the union bargaining team advocating for better conditions for workers and clients.

Lee is a trained sexual assault advocate, and are trained in trauma modalities including AIR Network and AEDP. They also believe that lived experience informed practice needs to be the basis for supporting survivors, not just evidence-based practice.