Couples Therapy & Women's Mental Health · NC, SC, FL, DE, VT & ID · IL, IN, VA Pending

Women's mental health, with the depth your story deserves.

I work with couples in the work of repair and women through anxiety, burnout, identity shifts, and the everyday weight of holding too much. At Knoll Mind, we go below the surface together.

Schedule a Consultation → Our Approach

Licensed Clinical Social Worker · Doctor of Social Work

Dr. Shanika Lavi Wilson

DSW · LCSW · Founder

17+ Years
Licensed

Meet Dr. Wilson

Hi, I'm Dr. Lavi.

I came to this work because I watched too many women carry too much for too long without a place to put any of it down. The world tells women to be strong, to be everything, to keep moving. It rarely tells them where to rest.

I have been a social worker since 2006 and a licensed clinician since 2009. My doctoral work, my published research, and my classrooms at North Carolina Central University have all circled the same questions: how does pain settle in the body, how do cultural expectations bend a woman's sense of herself, and what does real healing look like when it includes the whole person.

Outside of practice, I am a wife and the mother of three sons, and most of my real life happens around our family table. I write a Substack about women's wellness and wellbeing because I believe the conversations Black women and women in general need to have should not stay behind closed doors. I read more nonfiction than I should. I am protective of my time. I believe in clinical rigor, plain language, and the quiet power of being seen by someone who is paying full attention.

You do not have to have it all figured out to begin.

Our Mission

Care built around women's whole lives.

A knoll is a small rise in the land, a place to pause and see further. I named this practice Knoll Mind because that is what therapy is — a place to set down what you have been holding, look at it honestly, and find your way forward. I built this practice for couples in the work of repair and for women navigating the demands of real life, knowing that race, body, family, faith, and the stories you have been told about yourself all walk in with you.

Your clarity begins here.

Our Approach

Therapy that honors the whole woman.

Healing is not a checklist. It is a partnership built on cultural attunement, clinical rigor, and the steady belief that every woman carries her own wisdom. My approach rests on four commitments.

Cultural attunement comes first

Race, gender, faith, family history, and class shape the way pain is experienced and the way healing unfolds. I center the lived realities of women navigating racial stress, cultural expectations, and the demands of strength others have placed on them. Sessions hold space for the parts of your life that other therapists may have asked you to set aside.

Evidence guides every choice

I build care on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Somatic practices, and Mindfulness-Based interventions. These are peer-reviewed, tested approaches with decades of research behind them. My own published work on ACT informs how I use these tools in session.

The body is part of the work

Stress, racial trauma, and the demands of being everyone's caretaker settle in the body. They show up as tight shoulders, shallow breath, restless sleep, hormonal shifts, and stomach knots no one names. I treat the body as a partner in healing, not a separate problem to manage on your own time.

You set the pace

I will never push you to disclose more than you are ready to share. The work moves at the speed your nervous system can hold. We revisit goals every few months and adjust as your life changes. This is your healing, not a treatment plan that runs on someone else's clock.

Primary Focus

Couples therapy and women's mental health, with the depth your story deserves.

Knoll Mind centers two clinical specialties, each backed by formal training and nearly two decades of practice.

Specialty One

Couples Therapy

Intentional work on communication, repair, and rebuilding trust, delivered via secure telehealth. I bring Gottman Method training to affair recovery, trauma between partners, and the everyday work of being in relationship. Sessions range from 50 to 75 minutes based on what the work requires.

PESI Gottman Method Training

Specialty Two

Women's Mental Health

I work with women managing anxiety, depression, burnout, perfectionism, identity transitions, and the cumulative weight of being everyone's caregiver. Care delivered via secure telehealth, designed for working professionals, mothers, partners, and the women who hold others up.

PESI Women's Mental Health Specialist

The Lens Across All My Work

Both specialties are grounded in a BIPOC-affirming clinical framework. I name racial stress, cultural pressure, and the somatic toll these can carry. My PESI BIPOC Mental Health Specialist training informs how I show up in every session, with every client, regardless of specialty.

What to Expect

Your first session, without the guessing.

Reaching out to a new therapist is the hardest part. Once you do, here is what actually happens.

01

You reach out

You email me at laviwilson@knollmind.com or book directly through Grow Therapy. I respond within one business day. No waiting weeks for a callback.
02

We have a free 15-minute call

A brief conversation so I can hear what brought you here and you can hear my voice. I will ask what you are looking for in therapy. You can ask me anything. If we are a fit, we schedule your first full session. If not, I will help you find someone who is.
03

Your first session, 45 minutes

I send you a secure Zoom link before our session. The first ten minutes are paperwork — release forms, brief intake, confidentiality basics. Then we talk. I ask about what is bringing you in now, what you have already tried, and what you hope therapy can do for you. You set the pace. You share only what you are ready to share.
04

We decide together what comes next

At the end of the first session, we talk about whether you want to continue. If you do, we discuss frequency — weekly, every other week, monthly — and start building your care plan together. No pressure to commit to a long-term contract. Therapy works because you choose it, not because someone locked you in.

If you are nervous, that is normal. Most clients tell me the first session feels less scary than they expected. The hardest part is sending the first message.

Clinical Framework

Good therapy is built on real science.

The approaches below shape how I work in session. Each one is chosen intentionally, grounded in evidence-based practice, and informed by nearly two decades of clinical experience, research, and advanced professional training.

ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

I help clients build psychological flexibility through values-aligned action. My own published research on ACT informs how I teach and practice these skills in session.

CBT

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, challenging distorted beliefs, and developing healthier coping strategies for anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma recovery.

Somatic Therapy

Stress and racial trauma live in the physical body. We work with your body as a partner in healing, restoring safety, regulation, and the connection between mind and body.

MBP

Mindfulness-Based Practices

Practical mindfulness skills that reduce reactivity, strengthen emotional regulation, and build self-compassion. Research-supported and clinically tested with individuals, couples, and families.

Also Trained In

CPT Cognitive Processing Therapy
EFT Emotionally Focused Therapy
MI Motivational Interviewing
SFT Solution-Focused Therapy
NT Narrative Therapy
BSP Brainspotting
RCT Reality & Choice Therapy

Advanced Specialist Training

PESI Women's Mental Health Specialist

Advanced training on the emotional, psychological, and physiological factors impacting women's mental health across the lifespan — anxiety, depression, trauma, perinatal concerns, burnout, and cultural pressures.

PESI BIPOC Mental Health Specialist

Culturally responsive clinical practice addressing racial trauma, intergenerational stress, and the therapeutic value of naming what many clients have been asked to keep quiet.

PESI Gottman Method Training

Evidence-based couples therapy training grounded in decades of research on relationship dynamics, conflict repair, affair recovery, and trust rebuilding.

About My Work

The work I do in session is the work I publish about.

I have been a social worker for twenty years and a licensed clinician for seventeen. I also serve as Associate Professor of Social Work at North Carolina Central University, where I teach the next generation of clinicians. My research focuses on the ways women carry stress in the body, the cultural expectations that bend a woman's sense of herself, and the silent weight of being expected to be strong. That research shapes everything I do in session.

17+

Years licensed as a clinical social worker

20+

Years in social work practice

Fully active (NC, SC, FL, DE, VT, ID) · 3 pending (IL, IN, VA)

Peer-reviewed publications and book chapters

Education

DSW	University of Tennessee–Knoxville
MSEd	University of Pennsylvania
MSSW	University of Wisconsin–Madison
BA	University of Connecticut · Psychology

Credentials & Training

LCSW	NC, SC, FL, DE, VT & ID fully active · IL, IN, VA pending
Harvard	Media & Medicine Certificate
Yale	Life Worth Living Faculty Fellowship

Clinical Experience

My private practice experience began in 2010, when I served as Lead Licensed Outpatient Therapist at TASK Incorporated in Burlington, North Carolina. There I managed a full caseload and led clinical care for individuals navigating complex behavioral health concerns. These early outpatient years built the foundation for the depth I bring to private practice today.

What I Bring To A Session

Twenty years of clinical work means I do not flinch. Not at the size of what you or your partner are carrying, not at the contradictions in your story, not at the parts of your lives other clinicians have asked you to set aside. I bring calm, range, and the belief that what you have been holding deserves a real place to land.

Investment & Access

Transparent pricing, clear choices.

Competitive self-pay rates and insurance-friendly booking. Everything you need to know before we start.

Priced for access. Trained at the highest level.

Service	Self-Pay Rate
Individual Therapy · 45-min Intake	$120
Individual Therapy · 45-min Ongoing	$120
Individual Therapy · 60-min	$150
Couples Therapy · 50-min	$120
Couples Therapy · 75-min Extended	$150

Rates above reflect North Carolina self-pay sessions. State-specific rates will be posted as licensure is approved in additional states.

Cash Pay

Self-pay rates as listed above. Pay directly through Grow Therapy at the time of session. No insurance involvement required.

⊕

Insurance

I accept major insurance carriers including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Medicare through Grow Therapy, which manages credentialing and billing across all carriers.

↻

Superbill

If your insurance is out-of-network, I provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement under your out-of-network benefits.

Schedule With Me

Book through Grow Therapy.

I partner with Grow Therapy as my booking platform. Grow manages credentialing and billing across major insurance carriers, and cash payments are welcome. The intake process stays seamless for you.

Schedule With Me

Grow Therapy

Insurance or cash

→

Also Find Me On

I am credentialed across additional therapy networks. Choose the platform that fits your insurance, location, or referral pathway.

Melanin & Mental Health

Black mental health directory

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Therapy Den

Values-aligned therapist directory

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MiResource

Specialized provider matching

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Common Questions

What clients ask before they reach out.

Do you take my insurance? +

I partner with Grow Therapy for insurance billing, which covers Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Medicare. Cash pay is also welcome. If your insurance is not on Grow's list, I provide a superbill you can submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement.

How long does therapy usually take with you? +

The honest answer is, it depends. Some clients come in for a specific issue and finish in three to four months. Others stay longer because the work keeps unfolding. I do not run a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. We revisit your goals every few months and you decide when the work feels complete.

What if I have never been to therapy before? +

Most of my clients come in with at least some hesitation. Some have never been to therapy. Others have tried and stopped. You do not need to know what to say. You do not need a polished version of your story. You just need to be willing to show up. The first session is mostly me listening.

Are sessions virtual or in person? +

All sessions are virtual through a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. This means you can meet with me from your living room, your office, your car on a lunch break — anywhere you have privacy and a stable connection. Telehealth research shows outcomes are equal to or better than in-person care for most therapy work.

What states do you see clients in? +

I am currently licensed and accepting clients in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Delaware, Vermont, and Idaho. My licensure is pending in Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia, and I will begin accepting clients in each new state as the license clears. I cannot see clients in states where I am not licensed, even temporarily — this is a legal requirement, not a preference.

Do you work with couples? +

Yes. Couples therapy is one of my two clinical specialties. I bring Gottman Method training to my couples work, which means the approach is evidence-based and specifically strong in areas like affair recovery, trauma between partners, communication breakdown, and rebuilding trust. Sessions are 50 or 75 minutes based on what the work requires, and the pace is set by what both partners are ready to bring into the room.

Women's mental health, with the depth your story deserves.

Hi, I'm Dr. Lavi.

Care built around women's whole lives.

Therapy that honors the whole woman.

Cultural attunement comes first

Evidence guides every choice

The body is part of the work

You set the pace

Couples therapy and women's mental health, with the depth your story deserves.

Couples Therapy

Women's Mental Health

Your first session, without the guessing.

You reach out

We have a free 15-minute call

Your first session, 45 minutes

We decide together what comes next

Good therapy is built on real science.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Somatic Therapy

Mindfulness-Based Practices

PESI Women's Mental Health Specialist

PESI BIPOC Mental Health Specialist

PESI Gottman Method Training

The work I do in session is the work I publish about.

Education

Credentials & Training

Clinical Experience

Transparent pricing, clear choices.

Cash Pay

Insurance

Superbill

Book through Grow Therapy.

Clinical practice is a direct extension of scholarly inquiry.

The Strong Black Woman Schema, somatic expressions of depression, and other things I am thinking about.

Reel Assessments: From Screens to Clinical Practice ↗

The Weight of Resilience: Navigating the Black Girl Glare, the Strong Black Woman Trope, and Somatic Expressions of Depression ↗

Addressing Workplace Bullying in the Digital Age ↗

Microaggressions, Misogynoir, and Liberation for Black Women in Higher Education Leadership ↗

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): An Important Evidence-Based Practice for Social Work ↗

Black Women and Suicide: The Silent Crisis and Its Aftermath on Families ↗

Embracing Healing: The Transformative Power of Trauma-Informed Care for Families ↗

Substack: Shanika Lavi Wilson, LCSW ↗

What clients ask before they reach out.

Your clarity begins here.