Dese'Rae Stage

My name is Dese’Rae L. Stage (she/they), but you can call me Des. I’m a mom, therapist, licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), suicidologist, artist, and advocate in Philadelphia, PA. I wear a lot of hats. I identify as a queer, white, cisgender single parent and live with depression, anxiety, ADHD, CPTSD, and chronic suicidal thoughts. It’s important to me to be transparent about my positionality, in terms of my identity and lived experiences, as well as being someone who receives mental health services—I know what it’s like to be in the therapy chair and sitting across from it. To that end, I come to my work as a partner and a support, rather than an expert. In past lives, I worked in the service industry and the music industry, and built a career as an award-winning suicide prevention advocate and artist. I live with two small humans and a Basset Hound puppy named Frances Houseman (aka Baby). I see live music at every available opportunity (and sometimes I still drag my camera along), and when I’m not at a show, I’m probably reading a book, eating something delicious, or building Lego sets. I have a lot of stories. Feel free to ask me what happened when OJ Simpson came into the restaurant I worked at while I was in high school, or about that one time Lou Reed told me to f*ck off.

My practice is person-centered, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive. I use an eclectic approach, mainly rooted in relational and attachment-based therapies, alongside CBT techniques and DBT skills training.

Much of my practice is driven by my own lived experience as a patient in the mental health system. I work with teens and adults (~13-55) with a broad spectrum of concerns, but my passion lies in working with folks experiencing suicidal thoughts (and suicide attempts), self-injury, grief/traumatic loss (including suicide loss), ADHD/neurodivergence, depression, anxiety, mood and personality disorders, gender/sexual identity and broader LGBTQIA+ issues, fertility challenges, queer family-building, and pregnancy loss. I am kink and SW-friendly and have experience working with folks in poly/"alternative" relationship styles. I also offer letters of support for those seeking gender-affrming surgery. As a note, I only work with individuals, not couples or families.

I approach my work through a relational lens—I am a person, and I will be a person with you in the therapy room. I show up to my practice and hold space with authenticity, humor, compassion, empathy, and a touch of sarcasm.

Because I have struggled with various mental health issues of my own over time, I think one of my biggest assets as a therapist is that I often have personal experience with what we're discussing. It tends to make people feel more comfortable sharing. I'm also very informal and use humor during session (that doesn't mean you won't cry, though).

*** Just as an FYI, if you cancel within 24 hours of an appointment or don't show up for your appointment, you will incur a $85 fee.

Our first session is all about me getting to know you and your history. I ask a lot of questions and do a lot of typing. Later sessions don't look like that. Because I believe it's important for the client to lead our work, I will usually open subsequent sessions with, "What's going on?" or, "What have you been thinking about lately?" That way we're focusing on what feels important to you. If you need more structure than that, we can always discuss what that should look like. One tip I like to give folks who are worried they won't know what to talk about in session is: write down your thoughts in a journal or your notes app over the course of the week and bring in 3-5 things for us to discuss. I do it with my therapist!