Stephen Lee, DBH
Experience, education, and a lifelong curiosity about human behavior are the foundation of Synergy Behavioral Health.
From Psychiatry to Coaching
For nearly 20 years, I practiced as a Physician Associate, mostly in psychiatry. I saw how much good medical treatment can do. I also noticed that some of the biggest changes happened when people discovered something about themselves.
Sometimes it was a pattern they kept repeating. Sometimes it was seeing how an old experience was still steering today's decisions. And sometimes it was simply realizing they had strengths and choices they had never counted.
That curiosity carried me from the treatment of illness toward the broader science of behavior, adaptation, and personal change. It shaped my doctoral work in behavioral health and, eventually, Synergy.
The Most Important Subject Is Often Yourself.
For almost two decades I taught and mentored future healthcare professionals at Bay Path University, Westfield State University, and the University of Tampa.
Good education changes how people think. It builds curiosity, tests assumptions, and opens doors that were not visible before. The same is true of personal growth, and that is how I approach coaching: as a collaborative learning process, not a lecture.
From Hospital Corpsman to Medical Officer
I served more than 10 years of active duty in the U.S. Navy, including the Gulf War, as a Hospital Corpsman. I later served as a medical officer with the Connecticut Air National Guard.
Military service taught me how people perform under pressure, and how hard it can be to find your footing when that chapter ends. It is a big part of why I work with veterans today.
From Understanding Problems to Discovering Possibilities
My work draws on solution-focused, strategic, and generative perspectives on change, especially the ideas of Erickson, Haley, and Gilligan about individual resources and the capacity to transform.
Everyone brings strengths to their challenges. Stress, hard experiences, or long habits can bury them for a while. My role is not to tell you who to become. It is to help you see the patterns shaping your life and find new ways to respond.
Education and Credentials
My work through Synergy Behavioral Health is exclusively nonclinical education, coaching, and personal development. I do not practice as a physician assistant or provide medical services through Synergy.
Your life is more than a diagnosis, a hard season, or one chapter of your history. You have a story, real strengths, and the capacity to keep growing.