Devan Lewis, LSW
Licensed Social Worker
Halifax, PA
Devan works with clients navigating religious trauma, religious deconstruction, complex trauma, and intimate partner violence, along with neurodivergence (ADHD, autism, AuDHD — diagnosed or not) and recovery from high-control environments or relationships.
Walk us through what a session with you feels like. . .
I'd like to think that a session with me feels human, curious, collaborative, and occasionally a little unexpected and quirky. I don't believe therapy should feel like being examined by an expert who has all the answers. I'm genuinely curious about you; how you experience the world, what makes you you, and what you've learned about yourself along the way.
Naturally, there's conversation, but we can do that while also doing an activity like diamond art, doodling, walking, or building with legos if you'd prefer. Sometimes we'll also slow down when something feels important. We might notice what's happening in your body, get curious about a pattern you've been repeating, explore where a belief came from, make room for emotions that haven't had much space, or probably share some laughs. I won't assume that I know you better than you know yourself. We'll work together to get underneath the surface and figure out what's really going on.
You don't have to perform wholeness or wellness for me. You also don't have tell your story with the perfect wording. You get to show up as you, and I promise to accept you completely, just as you are.
Who do you feel most effective and energized working with?
The central theme that really lights me up as a therapist is working with people who are rebuilding a relationship with themselves after experiences that disrupted their sense of safety, identity, trust, or belonging.
Many of the people I work best with are navigating complex trauma, religious trauma and faith deconstruction, purity culture recovery, high-control relationships or environments, intimate partner violence, stalking, or neurodivergence.
I’m especially interested in the ways these experiences can shape how we see ourselves and move through the world. I enjoy helping clients make sense of those patterns, develop self-trust, reconnect with their own inner experience, and create a life that feels more authentic to who they are.
I feel most effective with clients who are ready to dive deep. I enjoy helping others make sense of their experiences, develop self-trust, reconnect with their body and inner experience, and create a life that feels more authentic.
What's something that you're really good at as a therapist?
I can hold your heavy and make room for your truths without pathologizing you. I’m good at sitting with the complicated, messy, and contradictory parts of being human while staying curious.
I'm also neurodivergent-affirming, not only through training and professional experience, but through my own lived experience. I know what it can be like to spend years trying to understand yourself within systems and expectations that weren't necessarily designed with your brain in mind. I won't try to teach you how to fit into those molds. Instead, I'll work to help you understand yourself, work with your brain rather than against it, and build a life that actually fits.
What drew you to focus in religious trauma and spiritual abuse?
I was drawn to this work through my background in Christian theology and professional training in religious trauma and spiritual abuse. My B.S. in Religion focused heavily on Christian theology, particularly evangelical and fundamentalist traditions, giving me a detailed understanding of the beliefs and cultural frameworks that often come up in Christian deconstruction—things like purity culture and rigid gender roles to rapture and hell-based fear.
I work with clients from a variety of faith backgrounds and remain religiously neutral, following each client’s lead. For some, healing means stepping away from religion entirely; for others, it means reclaiming parts of their spirituality that have been meaningful and supportive. I've also worked with individuals exploring and cultivating personal forms of spirituality outside of organized religion.
What approaches do you use, and what does that actually look like for a client in the room?
My approach is rooted in the belief that you carry a natural inner wisdom and an inborn capacity for healing. Over the years, I've found myself drawn to approaches that reflect the way I understand people and healing. I blend mind-based approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) along with body-based approaches-- somatic therapies like mindfulness, Focusing, and Hakomi; and trauma-focused approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Flash Technique (it's kind of like a sister to EMDR). We can draw from different ideas and tools together depending on what you're experiencing, what you feel curious about, or what feels useful to you.
In the room with me, it sounds less technical and might look more like getting curious about a part of you that is anxious, protective, or maybe exhausted, and exploring what it's trying to do for you. We might slow down and notice what's happening in your body or get curious about a belief you've carried about yourself. All the while, honoring your capacity and bandwidth.
What do clients tell you about working with you?
Rather than sharing what has been said, I'd love to share what I've noticed instead-- people who feel safe enough to take off their shoes, lay back on my sofa, swear, or tell me the most intimate details of their life or private thoughts. That's the biggest tell and compliment I could ever receive.
What are you into outside of work?
Great question. I have so many interests. I love laughing at a good meme as much as I enjoy a good book. I'm into gardening and crafting my own herbal teas, truly anything crafty or DIY, video games, music, lots of research, going on adventures, and spending time with my family.
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