Now accepting new clients in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Delaware.
Women's Mental Health & Wellness · NC, SC & DE

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

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

Dually Licensed · LCSW · LCAS · Certified Financial Social Worker

Dr. Shanika Lavi Wilson, founder of Knoll Mind, LLC
Dr. Shanika Lavi Wilson
DSW · LCSW · LCAS · Founder
17+ Years
Licensed
Women's Mental Health · Women's Wellness · The Strong Black Woman Schema · Somatic & Trauma Care · Acceptance & Commitment Therapy · Narrative Therapy · Mindfulness-Based Care · Women's Mental Health · Women's Wellness · The Strong Black Woman Schema · Somatic & Trauma Care · Acceptance & Commitment Therapy · Narrative Therapy · Mindfulness-Based Care ·
Dr. Shanika Lavi Wilson, founder of Knoll Mind, LLC

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.

My work is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, somatic practice, and narrative approaches — evidence-based tools that I adapt to the full reality of each woman I work with.

Whatever you are carrying, you do not have to carry it alone here.

Academic Site Research, publications, and faculty work

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.

"

You came to therapy carrying a real life. The work begins by honoring everything you walked in with — the grief, the brilliance, the body, and the stories you have not yet told.

Dr. Shanika Lavi Wilson, LCSW, LCAS

Women's mental health, and the depth women deserve.

Most of my work falls into two primary areas, with additional specialized services including college mental health and couples counseling. Here is what you can expect when we work together.

Beyond my primary focus, I offer specialized services for clients of all genders and backgrounds.

  • College Mental Health

    Therapy designed for college and graduate students navigating academic pressure, identity development, transition stress, and the mental load of being the first or only in your family to be here. I have worked on college campuses for over a decade and I understand the specific weight students carry that no one names in orientation.

  • Couples Counseling

    Intentional work on communication, conflict, intimacy, and rebuilding trust. I work with couples at all stages — newly partnered, navigating major life transitions, or working through years of accumulated distance. Sessions run 50 or 75 minutes depending on the depth of work. Both partners are held with equal care.

  • Psychosocial Oncology

    Therapy for cancer patients and survivors addressing treatment anxiety, body changes, identity shifts, fear of recurrence, and the long emotional work of life during and after cancer.

  • Financial Social Work

    The emotional toll of debt, financial trauma, and economic instability addressed as a core mental health concern, where money meets meaning.

  • Telehealth Therapy

    Secure virtual sessions across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Delaware. No commute, no waiting room. Therapy from wherever you have privacy and a stable connection.

Two decades. Real work. Honest practice.

I have been a social worker for twenty years and a licensed clinician for seventeen. 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
3
Active in NC, SC & DE
45+
Scholarly works including books, chapters, and peer-reviewed articles
DSWUniversity of Tennessee–Knoxville
MSEdUniversity of Pennsylvania
MSSWUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
BAUniversity of Connecticut · Psychology
LCSWNC · SC · DE
LCASLicensed Clinical Addiction Specialist
CFSWCertified Financial Social Worker
HarvardMedia & Medicine Certificate
YaleLife Worth Living Faculty Fellowship

Transparent pricing, clear choices.

I offer competitive out-of-pocket rates and insurance coverage through Grow Therapy, Rula, SonderMind, and Headway. Plan your wellness journey with clarity from day one.

Service Self-Pay Rate
Individual Therapy · 45-min Intake$150
Individual Therapy · 45-min Ongoing$135
Individual Therapy · 60-min$165
Couples Therapy · 50-min$165
Couples Therapy · 75-min Extended$200

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 or Rula 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, Rula, SonderMind, and Headway. Different carriers live on each platform.

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.

Book on Grow Therapy, Rula, SonderMind, or Headway.

I accept clients through four booking platforms. Different insurances live on each, and all accept cash payments. Use whichever one fits your coverage.

What clients ask before they reach out.

Do you take my insurance? +

I accept clients through three booking platforms: Grow Therapy, Rula, SonderMind, and Headway. Different insurance carriers live on each platform, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Medicare. Both platforms also accept cash payments. If your insurance is not on either list, you can still see me at self-pay rates and submit a superbill to your insurance for possible reimbursement under out-of-network benefits.

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, and Delaware. I cannot see clients in states where I am not licensed — this is a legal requirement, not a preference.

Do you work with couples? +

Yes. I offer couples therapy in 50-minute and 75-minute sessions, with intentional work on communication, repair, and rebuilding trust. Couples work is different from individual therapy and the pace is set by what both partners are ready to bring into the room.

Your clarity begins here.

Reach out by email or book directly through Grow Therapy, Rula, SonderMind, or Headway to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. Different insurances are accepted on each platform, and both accept cash. I respond within one business day.