A Path Toward Therapy

La’Kiha earned bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Criminal Justice knowing that she wanted a career that involved helping people, although becoming a therapist wasn’t yet part of the plan.

Her early work gave her opportunities to connect with people in remarkably different environments.

She was a peer leader and spent three years working in a university Registrar’s Office. She worked as a hotel receptionist, a skilled nursing facility receptionist, and a caregiver.

Her internships took her into a domestic violence women’s center, a crisis text line, and an adult day program.

While completing her Master of Social Work, she even worked at the front desk of a private therapy practice, getting a behind-the-scenes view of mental health care before eventually sitting on the other side of the office door.

Each experience added something.

Her background in sociology and criminal justice encouraged her to think about how environments, relationships, systems, and life experiences shape people.

Her work with older adults showed her the importance of connection.

And her experiences in trauma and crisis work reinforced something she had begun to recognize throughout her career:

There is always more to someone’s story.

Wanting More Time

Before becoming a therapist, La’Kiha worked in a partial care program, facilitating psychoeducational groups and working as a case manager.

She enjoyed the work.

But she kept wanting something the setting couldn’t always provide.

More time.

More time to sit with someone individually. More time to understand what was happening beneath the immediate problem. More time to build a relationship and explore the experiences that had brought someone to where they were.

La’Kiha had always known she wanted to help people.

Now she understood how she wanted to do it.

Therapy gave her the opportunity to slow down and build the kind of individual relationships she had been looking for.

What Is Therapy With La’Kiha Like?

La’Kiha describes herself as direct but gentle, calm, approachable, humorous, laid-back, and conversational.

She doesn’t expect clients to walk into therapy knowing exactly what to say.

Sometimes the first question is simply:

How has your week actually been?

If talking feels difficult, she may use an activity, worksheet, creative exercise, or a few questions to get things moving.

And sometimes there is silence.

La’Kiha is comfortable with that, too.

She believes therapy should be flexible enough to meet the person sitting in front of her rather than requiring that person to figure out how to “do therapy correctly.”

There is also likely to be some laughter.

Life can be heavy enough. La’Kiha doesn’t believe therapy needs to feel serious every second in order for meaningful work to happen.

Books, movies, television, metaphors, humor, creative exercises, and conversations about everyday life can all find their way into the room.

So can celebrating the small wins that are easy to overlook when someone is focused on everything that hasn’t changed yet.

For the Person With 37 Tabs Open

La’Kiha particularly enjoys working with teens, adults, and older adults experiencing anxiety, OCD, grief and loss, relationship concerns, and major life transitions.

She often connects well with anxious teenagers, adults who overthink, people feeling overwhelmed in relationships or parenting, and those trying to navigate major changes while figuring out who they are.

Or, as La’Kiha puts it, someone whose brain has “37 tabs open at all times.”

She understands that anxiety isn’t always visible.

Someone may appear completely fine to everyone around them while having an exhausting internal experience.

Struggling doesn’t mean someone is weak, dramatic, or “too sensitive.”

And therapy isn’t about simply making uncomfortable thoughts or feelings disappear.

It’s about developing a different relationship with them—and becoming more confident in your ability to handle what comes next.

Looking at the “Problem” Differently

When a client describes something they want to stop doing, La’Kiha is interested in another question first:

What is this doing for you?

Sometimes something that looks like a problem began as a way of coping.

Avoiding something, shutting down, overthinking, people-pleasing, or another pattern may have served an important purpose at some point—even if it isn’t helping anymore.

Understanding that doesn’t mean someone has to keep doing it.

It means change can begin with curiosity rather than judgment.

By understanding why a pattern developed and what function it has served, clients can begin finding new ways to respond without treating themselves as the problem.

Building Trust Without Rushing It

La’Kiha doesn’t expect someone to trust her simply because they scheduled an appointment.

She knows some clients arrive nervous or skeptical. Others have been sent to therapy by someone else. Some have tried therapy before and left feeling misunderstood.

She doesn’t see any of those reactions as obstacles that need to disappear immediately.

Therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Some people want structure and directness. Others need conversation to feel natural and relaxed before they can begin talking about difficult things.

La’Kiha believes part of the work is figuring out together what will actually be useful for the individual client.

A previous experience with therapy that didn’t work doesn’t necessarily mean therapy isn’t for you.

It may simply mean the fit wasn’t right.

More Than Feeling Better

Of course, La’Kiha wants clients to experience relief from the symptoms that brought them to therapy.

But she hopes they leave with something larger.

A stronger understanding of who they are.

Greater confidence making decisions, setting boundaries, navigating relationships, and tolerating uncertainty.

An ability to recognize their own strengths—even during difficult seasons.

And perhaps most importantly, a growing belief that they are more capable than they thought they were when they first walked through the door.

The Thread Through It All

Retirement communities. College campuses. Crisis work. Community mental health. Caregiving. Case management. Therapy.

La’Kiha’s path hasn’t been completely linear.

But there is a thread running through it.

She is curious about people and their stories.

She believes there is always more happening beneath what we can see from the outside.

And she knows that sometimes the most meaningful thing one person can offer another isn’t an immediate answer.

It’s presence.

It’s listening.

It’s remembering the little things.

It’s being willing to stay long enough to understand.

Years ago, La’Kiha discovered how powerful that could be while sitting with older adults experiencing isolation during a pandemic.

Today, she brings that same understanding into the therapy room.

Her hope is simple:

That clients leave feeling a little more understood, a little less alone, and a little more confident in themselves.