Lynne Li

In an age of increasing academic and social pressure, Lynbrook students have found themselves seeking ways to deal with stress. This year, Lynbrook introduces a new school-based therapist, Lynne Li, who looks forward to helping students find their own methods of dealing with emotions.

Li was initially inspired to work as a general therapist, but after participating in a program that specifically focused on therapy for minors, she further refined her interest and began working as a school-based therapist in the Palo Alto Unified School District for two years before coming to Lynbrook.

“It is pretty fulfilling to be able to make a little bit of impact on other people’s lives,” Li said. “What I believed when I chose this major is that everyone deserves to enjoy their life and be happy, and sometimes, they don’t have that resource.”

While Li is only on campus on Tuesdays, she aims to provide Lynbrook students her full support by keeping her office open for walk-ins and appointments throughout the day.

“My goal is not to be the problem solver, but to teach students how to problem solve themselves so they feel more comfortable or confident in using their resources as natural support,” Li said. 

Natural support resources can include teachers, friends, counselors, therapists, or software. Li emphasizes the importance of teaching students how to manage stress and emotions, so they can better focus on their interests, academics and social relationships. 

If students need additional guidance, they can also reach out to teachers or other trusted adults apart from their therapist. Especially since Lynbrook doesn’t provide as many options for long-term therapy due to limited therapists, Li recommends that students reach out to their teachers for academic-related stress.

“If we keep things to ourselves and try to solve homework problems alone, it can take maybe two hours, but that might only need one five-minute Q-and-A session with a teacher,” Li said.

Apart from her time at Lynbrook, Li also works at Monta Vista as a school-based therapist every Monday and participates in community services for the rest of the week. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis with her friends and simply just relaxing at home.