With more than 21 years of experience in social work, behavioral health, and mental wellness, Dr. Kenyuatia L. Gash is a Board-Certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker, clinical leader, educator, consultant, and advocate committed to transforming the way individuals, professionals, and organizations experience mental health and wellness.
As the Founder, CEO, and Senior Clinical Director of KL Gash & Associates, LLC, Dr. Gash leads with a philosophy that mental health care should be clinically excellent, culturally responsive, accessible, and deeply human. Her work extends beyond traditional therapy to address the interconnected needs of individuals, families, professionals, workplaces, and communities.
Dr. Gash brings extensive expertise in trauma and PTSD, crisis intervention, substance use, clinical supervision, veteran and military mental health, culturally responsive behavioral health, and organizational wellness. Her advanced training includes Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and EMDR, for which she is an EMDR Certified Therapist and Consultant-in-Training. She is also a Board-Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work and Master Addiction Counselor.
Her impact extends well beyond the therapy room. Dr. Gash is an accomplished educator, trainer, clinical supervisor, speaker, and consultant who develops learning experiences that strengthen clinical competence, leadership, resilience, and professional sustainability. Through the KL Clinical Training Institute, she supports the continued development of social workers and behavioral health professionals through high-quality continuing education and professional training.
As an Organizational Wellness Strategist, Dr. Gash partners with businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and leaders to strengthen workplace mental health, psychological safety, employee well-being, resilience, and organizational culture. She believes healthy organizations are built by creating environments where people can perform, lead, and succeed without sacrificing their mental and emotional well-being.
Central to Dr. Gash's work is her commitment to communities that have historically experienced barriers to quality mental health care. She is particularly passionate about Black mental health, women's emotional wellness, veteran mental health, trauma recovery, and reducing disparities in behavioral health services. Her work with Black women creates space to address rejection, abandonment, self-worth, identity, generational wounds, and complex mother-daughter and father-absence experiences while helping women reclaim their voices, value, and sense of purpose.
Dr. Gash is also the Founder and Executive Director of the VA SMILE Foundation, where her commitment to service continues through initiatives designed to expand mental health access, strengthen communities, and support the development of a more diverse behavioral health workforce.
Whether she is leading an organization, supervising the next generation of clinicians, teaching, consulting with leaders, speaking to an audience, or supporting communities, Dr. Gash brings the same guiding belief to her work:
Mental wellness should not simply help people survive. It should give individuals, professionals, organizations, and communities the foundation they need to thrive.