Black-Led Therapists and Counseling Centers You Can Trust
Dec 07, 2025 07:47PM ● By Marie Lewis
Black-led therapists and counseling centers offer more than services; they offer safety, cultural awareness, and an environment where your truth won’t be minimized, misunderstood, or weaponized. When a therapist has shared cultural experiences, clients often feel more comfortable, more trusting, and more open. That comfort can lead to deeper healing, more honest conversations, and treatment that reflects the fullness of who you are.
Louisville is home to an incredible community of Black mental health professionals who are doing transformative work. Below is a spotlight on trusted Black-led therapists, clinicians, and counseling centers you can turn to with confidence.
Lotus Counsel Wellness – Charles Smiley, LCSW
Charles Smiley, Mental Health Therapist, is a Louisville native with nearly 10 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, and adults in the mental health field. He earned his B.A. in Psychology (2015), BSW (2017), and MSSW (2019) from the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work. His background spans a wide range of settings, including psychiatric emergency services, crisis stabilization/residential programs, criminal justice, homelessness/housing, developmental disabilities, private practice, school-based therapy, community-based therapy, and individual/family counseling.
Charles is passionate about empowering clients toward change and stability. He uses evidence-based modalities such as CBT, EMDR, DBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and more, always tailored to meet each person where they are.
Services Provided: Individual therapy, Family therapy, Trauma-informed treatment, CBT, EMDR, DBT, MI, Solution-Focused Therapy
Works With: Children (ages 4+), Teens, Families, Adults
Contact Information:
📍 8701 Old Bardstown Road, Suite B, Louisville, KY 40291
📞 502-618-2823
🌐 https://www.lotuscounselwellness.com/
Insurance Information:
We accept a variety of insurances and private pay.
Please call the office for details regarding your specific insurance coverage.
Becoming H.E.R Counseling & Consulting, LLC — Ebony Shimin, LCSW
Services Provided: Individual therapy, Trauma recovery, Women’s mental health, Identity and empowerment-focused counseling
Works With: Teens, Adult women, Individuals seeking emotional healing and empowerment
Clients can self-pay or use superbills for potential insurance reimbursement. With over a decade of social work experience, Ebony creates a safe and empowering space for women navigating emotional and personal challenges.
Contact Info:
🌐 https://ebony-shimin.clientsecure.me
Insurance:
https://www.becominghercounselingandconsultingllc.com/faqs
LifeStance Health — Dr. Kyndl Woodlee, PhD
Dr. Woodlee provides individual and group therapy to adults and seniors across Kentucky. His areas of focus include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, trauma, grief, life transitions, and gender identity.
He uses evidence-based practices like CBT and mindfulness to help clients regulate emotions, reduce stress, and strengthen relationships. Dr. Woodlee is deeply committed to serving diverse populations, including LGBTQ+ individuals.
Services Provided: Therapy and mental health support through LifeStance Health
Work With: Varies by LifeStance provider (typically teens & adults)
Contact Info:
📍 2550 Eastpoint Pkwy Suite 210, Louisville, KY 40223
📞 502-975-2960
🌐 https://lifestance.com/provider/psychologist/ky/louisville/kyndl-woodlee/
Insurance:
https://lifestance.com/insurance/ky/
Revive Counseling and Wellness, LLC — Gail & Dajuan Bibb
Revive supports individuals, couples, and families navigating anxiety, grief, parenting, major life changes, and relationship issues.
Services Provided: Individual counseling, Couples counseling
Works With: Adults, Couples
Contact Info:
📍 308 Evergreen Rd. Suite 140, Louisville, KY 40243
📞 502-632-3282
🌐 https://www.revivecounselingwellness.com/
Insurance:
Does not accept insurance
Rates: $120 per 50-min individual, $140 per 50-min couples, $180 per 90-min couples
Creative Spirits Behavioral Health — Cassandra D. Harris-Gray, CEO
Creative Spirits is a faith-based behavioral health center offering mental health therapy, addiction services, case management, employment support, recreational programs, and court-related services like DUI and DVO classes.
Led by Cassandra D. Harris-Gray, LCADC, LMFT, BIP, the center provides culturally sensitive care and offers Black therapists and case managers for clients seeking representation and culturally competent support.
Services Provided: Community-based and clinical mental health services
Works With: Children, Teens, Adults, Families
Contact Info:
📍 12730 Townepark Way, Suite 201
📞 502-254-9555
🌐 https://www.creativespiritsonline.com/
Insurance:
Accepts Kentucky Medicaid, https://www.creativespiritsonline.com/paying-for-service
Get Strong Counsel — Roni Johnson, LCSW, APHSW-C
Roni Johnson created Strong Counsel with the mission of supporting the “strong friend”, the
person who looks put-together on the outside but is struggling inside. With 20+ years of experience, she specializes in grief, anxiety, life transitions, relationships, intimacy, and caregiver concerns.
Roni is known for her warmth, directness, and cultural understanding as a Black mom, wife, and former “strong friend” herself.
Services Provided: Individual counseling, Trauma-informed care
Works With: Teens, Adults
Contact Info:
🌐 https://getstrongcounsel.com/
Insurance:
🌐 https://getstrongcounsel.com/services
HaveHope Counseling & Consulting — Dr. Angelina Strickland, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
HaveHope provides a full spectrum of mental health services, including therapy, medication management (ages 6+), IOP programs, peer support, case management, and more.
Dr. Angelina Strickland brings over 20 years of healthcare experience, specializing in anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia, ADHD, and trauma-related concerns. HaveHope is also a Certified SPRAVATO REMS location.
Services Provided: Individual therapy, Support for anxiety, depression, medication management, and life transitions
Works With: Teens, Adults
Contact Info:
📍 1448 S. 15th Street, Louisville, KY 40210
📞 502-290-3050
🌐 http://havehopelouisville.com/#home
Insurance:
Scroll to the bottom of the page:
🌐 http://havehopelouisville.com/our-services/
Total Life Counseling & Wellness — Dr. Chauweda Smith, CEO
Total Life Counseling & Wellness focuses on holistic, whole-person wellness. Their services
address mental health, physical health, life skills, parenting, anger management, grief, adolescent behavior, self-esteem, and more.
Dr. Chauweda Smith is a licensed clinical therapist, life coach, NASM-certified fitness professional, and faculty member at Spalding University’s School of Social Work. She also provides CEU trainings and advocates for community mental health access.
Services Provided: Trauma, Teen Violence, Anger Management, Grief/Loss, Adolescent behaviors, In-office and online Counseling, Life Coaching, Mental Health Assessments, Medication Referrals, Parenting Classes, Supervised Visitation, Fitness and Wellness Training
Works With: adolescents, teens, adults,
Contact Info:
📞 502-268-8676
📧 [email protected]
Insurance and Rates:
https://www.tlccoflouisville.com/getting-started
LifeStance Health — Chante’ Moore, M.Ed, LPCC
Chante’ Moore offers a warm, nonjudgmental space for adults navigating anxiety, depression, grief, and major life transitions. She uses CBT, ACT, and DBT to help clients strengthen resilience and self-compassion.
She specializes in supporting women through midlife and later-life transitions, helping them reconnect with themselves and move confidently into new seasons of life.
Services Provided: Anxiety, Depression, Depression, Grief, Later Life Transitions, Midlife Transitions, Women's issues
Works With: 18-64
Contact Info:
📍 100 Executive Park, Suite 103, Louisville, KY 40207
📞 502-934-5363
🌐 https://lifestance.com/provider/therapist/ky/louisville/chante-moore/
Insurance: https://lifestance.com/insurance/ky/
LifeStance Health — Nadeja Wesley, PhD, LCSW
Dr. Nadeja Wesley offers psychodynamic, trauma-informed, harm reduction–based therapy
integrated with CBT and EMDR techniques. With 15+ years of experience, she specializes in anxiety, depression, racial and systemic trauma, gender identity, PTSD, grief, and LGBTQIA+ care. Her work centers on self-reflection, identity, emotional insight, and healing from trauma.
Services Provided: Anxiety, Depression, Gender Identity, Grief, Midlife Transitions, PTSD/Trauma, Women's Issues
Works With: 18-64, LGBTQ+
Contact Info:
📍 2550 Eastpoint Parkway, Suite 210, Louisville, KY 40223
📞 502-909-0518
🌐 https://lifestance.com/provider/therapist/ky/louisville/nadeja-wesley/
Insurance: https://lifestance.com/insurance/ky/
Revelation Counseling Center — Dr. La’Shonda Fletcher, LMFT
Voted one of Louisville’s Best Marriage Counselors for five consecutive years, Dr. La’Shonda Fletcher blends clinical and pastoral training to support individuals, couples, children, and teens.
Her approach centers on warmth, cultural respect, and meeting clients exactly where they are. Families can receive help with marriage, communication, conflict, teen struggles, emotional wellness, and personal healing.
Services Provided: Parenting, Anger Management, Divorce, Anxiety & Depression, Religious & Spiritual Conflicts, Life Transition, Self-Harm, Self-Esteem, Addiction, Grief
Works With: Children starting at 12, Families, Couples
Contact Info:
📞 502-224-4478
📍 4333 S. Brook St., Louisville, Ky. 40214
Insurance:
https://www.rcclouisville.com/fees--insurance.html
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Holding Space
A community-rooted therapy program honoring healing as an ancestral practice of resilience,
connection, and collective care. Families can meet with a therapist online or in person at Play Cousins Collective while their children participate in enriching, culturally grounded programs. Sessions are offered at free or sliding-scale rates, ensuring that every family in our village has access to mental and emotional support. Holding Space partners with the Collective Care Center at Spalding University and the Trauma-Informed Counseling Center, bringing together experienced clinicians and counselors who help guide the program with integrity, cultural awareness, and trauma-responsive care.
This initiative is intentionally decolonizing therapy, removing shame, restoring cultural connection, and leading generational healing through community. Our therapists are not separate from the people they serve; they are part of the village. Through Therapist Roundtables (fully HIPAA-compliant), providers gather to share patterns, insights, and community needs that arise in sessions, strengthening healing on a collective level. Healing is not an individual journey; it is a return to one another.
Start your healing journey with us: tinyurl.com/holdingspace4pcc