Trauma and PTSD therapists & psychiatrists in Rhode Island

I'm Alisha — a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and MSW with nine years of experience working with teens, adults, and families across Rhode Island. My background began in child welfare and behavioral health, which shaped how I work: I understand that the challenges people bring to therapy often run deeper than what shows up on the surface, and that real progress takes trust, time, and a therapeutic relationship that actually feels safe.

I specialize in anxiety, trauma, family conflict, body image, and women's mental health. I'm particularly passionate about working with Black and mixed-race clients, and I'm committed to offering therapy that is culturally responsive — not just culturally competent on paper, but genuinely attuned to the realities of navigating identity, race, and belonging in everyday life.

I offer sessions in North Kingstown and East Providence, as well as telehealth throughout Rhode Island. I have evening and Saturday morning availability, and I accept Aetna, Cigna, Carelon, and several other major insurance plans. A sliding scale is available for those without coverage.

I am a Christian Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My faith in the Holy Trinity of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit greatly shape my life, and my work. I believe you have everything you need within you to achieve your goals and heal.

Rooted in my graduate training at the University of Rhode Island, I developed expertise in both general clinical and health psychology. I developed a programmatic line of research in health promotion (adoption and maintenance of multiple health behaviors including exercise, smoking cessation and nutritious eating) with a particular focus on exercise motivation as a gateway to adopting other health behaviors.

During my internship and postdoctoral training at VA Connecticut and VA Boston, respectively, my research evolved towards integrating health behavior change (e.g., exercise adoption and maintenance) with veterans suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain and PTSD. As I learned more about the biopsychosocial model of these medically and psychiatrically complex disorders, my ultimate goal became to help veterans better manage their pain and PTSD symptoms, utilizing health behavior change as a complementary component of their overall treatment program. With this approach, the ultimate goal was to help them improve their overall quality of life and well-being, long-term.

My patient oriented research experience, over the past thirteen years, directly informed my approach to my clinical work with individual patients. In fact, I worked for Newton-Wellesley Eating Disorders and Behavioral Medicine for the past fifteen years. As part of this work, I focused on helping individuals suffering from the full continuum of eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder) to sustain their recovery long-term and achieve "recovery maintenance" through establishment and achievement of additional life goals and to move beyond their "eating disorder" identity to a "whole person" identity to create a more meaningful life post-recovery. Additionally, as part of this practice, I treated patients suffering from anxiety, PTSD, chronic musculoskeletal pain and depression as well as veterans from the community.

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to consider working with me. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and have been in the Mental Health and Substance Use field for 21 years. I have extensive experience working with a wide range of issues. I specialize in working with adolescents and adults who struggle with anxiety, substance use, Men's issues, and relationship stress. I hope that we can connect and work towards removing your barriers and achieving your goals.