Women's Mental Health & Black Women's Wellness · NC · Expanding

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

I provide culturally affirming, evidence-based psychotherapy for women, with a clinical specialization in care for Black women. At Knoll Mind, I honor the mental, emotional, and somatic experiences women carry every day.

Schedule a Consultation → Our Approach

Dually Licensed · LCSW · LCAS · Certified Financial Social Worker · CSWM™

Dr. Shanika Lavi Wilson

DSW · LCSW · LCAS · Founder

17+ Years
Licensed

Meet Dr. Wilson

Hi, I'm Dr. Lavi.

I came to this work because I watched too many women, especially Black 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. I write a Substack about wellness and Black women's wellbeing. I believe in clinical rigor, plain language, and the quiet power of being seen by someone who is paying full attention.

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

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. The mind is where our stories, pain, and healing live. I founded Knoll Mind to give women a grounded place to stand and a clearer view of their own lives. My mission centers women's mental health, with a clinical specialization in care for Black women. I honor the full complexity of every woman's life — race, body, family, faith, and the stories she has been told to tell about herself.

I focus on the mental, emotional, and somatic experiences women carry, including the weight of professional demands, family roles, racial stress, and the stories we have been taught to tell about ourselves. Trust forms the bedrock of every therapeutic partnership I build, and partnership requires active participation from both of us.

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, with particular attention to Black women navigating racial trauma, misogynoir, 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

Primary Focus

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

Knoll Mind centers two interwoven specialties built on women-centered scholarship and nearly two decades of clinical practice.

Specialty One

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 designed for working professionals, mothers, partners, and the women who hold others up.

Specialty Two

Black Women's Wellness

Culturally rooted therapy that names misogynoir, racial trauma, the Strong Black Woman Schema, somatic expressions of distress, and the specific health disparities Black women navigate every day. A space where you never have to translate your experience to be understood.

Additional Clinical Services

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

Immigration Evaluations

Psychological evaluations for hardship waivers, asylum, U-visa, T-visa, and VAWA self-petition cases, with comprehensive written reports for your attorney.
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.
Telehealth Therapy

Secure virtual sessions across North Carolina, with licensure pending in SC, CT, FL and future expansion to IL, IN, CA, WA.
Couples Therapy

Intentional work on communication, repair, and rebuilding trust. Sessions range from 50 to 75 minutes based on the work required.
Financial Social Work

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

Supervision for post-graduate clinicians working toward LCSW licensure. View supervision details →

Clinical Framework

Practice rests on proven science.

I integrate four core modalities drawn from peer-reviewed research and nearly two decades of direct clinical practice. Each one serves a distinct purpose in your healing.

ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

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

Narrative Therapy

Together we examine and rewrite the stories that no longer serve you. Reclaiming personal power often begins with naming the external cultural pressures shaping the story you have been told.

Somatic Therapy

Stress and racial trauma live in the physical body. They show up as tension, pain, and fatigue. We work with your body as a partner in healing, not a problem to be fixed.

MBP

Mindfulness-Based Practices

I teach skills that reduce reactivity and build self-compassion. The research names these practices as essential for long-term healing, and I have seen that play out in session after session.

Additional Trained Modalities

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Motivational Interviewing
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Empowerment-Based Therapy
Reality Therapy

Academic Foundations

Scholarship meets practice.

I have practiced social work since 2006 and have been a licensed clinician since 2009. My career includes prior clinical work in university counseling and student health centers, and my published scholarship focuses on women's mental health, the somatic expressions of depression in Black women, and the Strong Black Woman Schema.

17+

Years licensed as a clinical social worker

20+

Years in social work practice

Active license (NC) · 3 pending · 4 planned

Peer-reviewed publications and book chapters

Education

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

Credentials & Training

LCSW · NC active · SC, CT, FL pending · IL, IN, CA, WA planned
LCAS · Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist
CSWM™ · Certified Social Work Manager
Certified Financial Social Worker
Harvard Medical School · Media & Medicine Certificate
Yale Faculty Fellowship · Life Worth Living

Clinical Background

My clinical career has included direct service in university counseling centers, university health centers, oncology social work, addictions treatment, and academic mental health. This breadth informs the depth I bring to women's mental health and Black women's wellness today.

Investment & Access

Transparent pricing, clear choices.

I offer competitive out-of-pocket rates and insurance coverage through 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.

Use Your Insurance

I partner with Headway to make insurance simple. Headway manages all credentialing and billing, so the process stays seamless for you.

Aetna Blue Cross Blue Shield UnitedHealthcare Cigna Medicare

Book via Headway

Schedule with your insurance coverage

Visit Headway Profile →

Dr. Shanika Lavi Wilson, clinical supervisor

For LCSWAs in

North Carolina

Clinical Supervision

Where meaningful growth takes place.

Clinical supervision is more than a licensure requirement. It is a space to reflect, build confidence, and develop your voice as a clinician. I offer supervision for North Carolina provisionally licensed social workers seeking to strengthen their clinical skills, deepen their self-awareness, and grow into confident, ethical practitioners.

What to Expect

Supervision with me is both supportive and structured. In our work together, you will have the opportunity to:

Process clinical cases and explore client dynamics
Strengthen ethical decision-making and professional judgment
Improve documentation, organization, and time management
Develop sustainable self-care practices
Reflect on your identity as a therapist and how it shapes your work

Individual Supervision

$100/hour

Group Supervision

$50/person, per session

I provide monthly invoices for your records and to help track your progress toward licensure.

Virtual Supervision · NC Guidelines

I conduct all supervision sessions virtually using secure, live video. Per the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board:

Up to 50 of the required 100 supervision hours may be completed virtually without special approval
Sessions must be live, with both video and audio. Phone-only supervision does not count
Confidentiality must be maintained at all times
Remaining hours must be completed in person, unless additional approval is granted

If you need more than 50 virtual hours, we can submit a formal request to the Board.

Supervision should feel like a place where you can show up fully, ask questions, work through challenges, and be supported in your development.

Inquire About Supervision →

Begin The Work

Your clarity begins here.

Reach out by form, phone, or email to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. I respond within one business day.

Phone

803.310.2774

laviwilson@knollmind.com

Book Online

Schedule via Headway →

First Name

Last Name

State of Residence

Service Of Interest

What brings you here

All submissions are confidential. This form is not monitored for crisis support.

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

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

Women's Mental Health

Black Women's Wellness

Immigration Evaluations

Psychosocial Oncology

Telehealth Therapy

Couples Therapy

Financial Social Work

Clinical Supervision

Practice rests on proven science.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Narrative Therapy

Somatic Therapy

Mindfulness-Based Practices

Additional Trained Modalities

Scholarship meets practice.

Education

Credentials & Training

Clinical Background

Transparent pricing, clear choices.

Use Your Insurance

Schedule with your insurance coverage

Where meaningful growth takes place.

What to Expect

Virtual Supervision · NC Guidelines

Clinical practice is a direct extension of scholarly inquiry.

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, LCAS ↗

Your clarity begins here.