Hello! I’m Leiah!

As a young teen Leiah developed a deep connection with individuals with special needs when she cared for a neighborhood child with autism. This ignited an interest to study mental health and prompted her to choose psychology as her major in college. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee in 2006. 

After graduation, Leiah served as the Assistant Director at The King’s Daughters’ Center for Autism (KDS CFA) for six years, working directly with children and young adults with severe autism and intellectual disabilities. Seeing the importance of increasing her knowledge of mental health and social-emotional regulation, she enrolled in Trevecca University’s counseling psychology program and graduated with honors with her master’s degree.  

Leiah completed her counseling internship in Franklin, TN at Mercy Children’s Clinic, now known as Mercy Community Healthcare (MCH) as a mental health counselor with elementary school children at New Hope Academy. As soon as her internship was complete because of her unique combination of expertise in autism, administrative experience, and her ability to connect with her clients, MCH hired her to work as the mental health counselor for the newly formed Williamson County School Tier 3 program for children with severe behavioral issues and co-occurring mental health disorders. During this time, Leiah completed requirements for her counseling license with the state of Tennessee and obtained her LPC-MHSP, and also completed the masters level Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program at Lipscomb University. She was promoted to the position of Coordinator of the Williamson County School-Based (WCS) program for MCH and later advanced to the position of Director of MCH’s School-based therapeutic program. 

In December of 2022, Leiah opened her own private practice–The Therapeutic Studio (TTS). TTS has quickly expanded into a group practice, attracting therapists that also specialize in neurodiversity and integrative care. Leiah is passionate about supporting all individuals and helping them find their truest self.  Leiah believes in the power of Christ, community and connection. She engages in group and individual therapy through several evidenced-based practices, including but not limited to: Narrative Therapy, Play Therapy, Expressive Sand Tray, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, BrainSpotting, Internal Family Systems, Applied Behavior Analysis, and educational advocacy. She also provides training for therapists and parents on topics such as autism, trauma, anxiety, depression, school-based interventions, and educational advocacy.