Find a therapist in Rhode Island — covered by insurance

With over 25 years of experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I specialize in supporting individuals navigating grief and loss, life transitions, chronic illness, trauma (including first responders), aging-related concerns, and members of the agricultural and farming communities.

I provide telehealth services across multiple states, I’m here to support you on your journey toward healing and growth.

I am a licensed counselor with 15 years of diverse clinical work experience with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. I specialize in complex family difficulties, cultural adaptation, mood disorders, psychosis and neurodevelopmental challenges.

I want to help you help yourself. I believe everyone is capable of change and I will teach you skills to use everyday.

You deserve to feel heard, supported, and understood—and if you’re here, you’ve already taken a meaningful step toward change.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree from the University of Connecticut, specializing in mental health and substance use. I’ve worked with teens, adults, and families across a range of settings, including outpatient clinics, schools, home-based care, and virtual therapy.

I work with people navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, identity exploration, relationship stress, and major life transitions. Many of my clients feel overwhelmed, stuck in patterns they can’t seem to shift, or exhausted from trying to manage everything on their own.

My approach is collaborative, direct when helpful, and grounded in compassion. I use evidence-based practices including CBT, DBT, ACT, and trauma-informed care, but I tailor therapy to what actually fits your life—not just a model. We focus on what’s showing up for you right now, while also working toward longer-term stability and change.

Therapy with me is not about judgment or perfection. It’s a space to slow things down, understand what’s driving stress or emotional pain, and build practical tools that help you feel more steady and in control of your day-to-day life.

Salem Black, who holds a Master’s degree in both Biomedical Anthropology and Social Work, has an extensive background in working with children and families. His academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, followed by a Master’s degree in Biomedical Anthropology from Binghamton University. This interdisciplinary approach provided him with a unique perspective on the intersection of behavioral patterns and public health.

This wild, painful, beautiful human experience can be a lot to process on our own, and it can be empowering to sort it out with a compassionate mental health professional who can be a support throughout your emotional growth. I am committed to showing up with empathy and gentle curiosity in collaboration with my clients. I am licensed in and seeing clients in Colorado and Rhode Island.

I have a passion for working with visual artists, writers, poets, musicians, and designers. I am an artist who believes that creative expression can be a way to engage the healing process and help us make meaning in this tumultuous world. I love working with artists and creatives, but you do not need to identify as an artist or creative to collaborate in therapy with me. We all hold the potential for creative healing engagement with ourselves, in relationships, and in the world. I welcome the opportunity to work with clients of all backgrounds and identities.

I received my MA in Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University, my MFA in Visual Art from Rutgers University, and my BFA in Visual Studies from Iowa State University. Before I became a counselor I spent fifteen years teaching studio art and cultural studies courses at colleges and universities across the United States. As an artist, writer, former academic, and mental health counselor, I have dedicated my life to creating connection and depth in relationships.