Aayla Alexander, Counselor
Specialty Areas
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Depression
- Postpartum
- Grief
- College Counseling
- Career Difficulties
- Life Transitions
- Self-Esteem
- Relationship Issues
- Family of Origin Concerns
- Multicultural Concerns
Aayla Alexander, LCSW
With over 10 years of therapeutic experience across community mental health, hospital systems, university counseling, and private practice, I specialize in supporting individuals navigating high-pressure lives, major transitions, and evolving identities. My clinical work centers on two primary focus areas: perinatal and parental mental health and the emotional wellness of high-performing individuals.
I have completed advanced certificate training in perinatal mental health and I’m currently pursuing PMH-C certification. I work with birthing and non-birthing parents, including mothers, fathers, partners, and other caregivers, as they navigate pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, infertility, pregnancy or infant loss, birth-related trauma, changes in identity, relationship transitions, returning to work, and the emotional demands of becoming or being a parent.
I also specializes in supporting high-performing professionals, leaders, athletes, creatives, students, and other achievement-oriented individuals. I help clients address anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, workplace stress, relationship concerns, major life transitions, and the pressure to consistently perform while appearing to have everything together.
My approach is warm, collaborative, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed. I integrates evidence-based practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, emotion regulation strategies, and self-compassion. Her goal is to help clients develop sustainable coping tools, strengthen their relationships, and create lives that feel both successful and emotionally fulfilling.
- Initial Intake: $250 per 53-60 min session
- Subsequent Sessions: $225 per 53-60 min session. $200 per 38-52 min session. $150 for 23-37 min session.
(Adapted from Shrink Chicks!)
- Am I truly depleted and too busy today or am I avoid talking about something hard?
- What would make today’s session worth it, if I left with just one takeaway?
- Could I benefit from even just a shorter lesson or switching to telehealth rather than totally cancelling?
- If I skip this session, will I lose momentum and will it be harder to return?
- What topic am I most avoidant of talking about and what’s one sentence I could start with?
- If not therapy today, what’s my plan for support (journaling, practicing skills I’ve learned, calling a friend, etc.) and is that enough?
- Favorite movies – belly, dead presidents, lion king, sex and the city, waiting to exhale,
- Favorite musicians – Jazmine Sullivan, Anita Baker, Aaliyah, Sade, Donny Hathaway, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, D’Angelo
- Favorite songs – a couple of minutes by Olivia dean, fly like a bird by Mariah Carey, all about our love by Sade, I found my smile again by d’Angelo
- Favorite food/restaurants – chicken nuggets, Caesar salads, anything smothered (I’m a southern girl, after all). My favorite Charlotte restaurants are smoke pit, kindred, fig tree, yame, yunta, yafo
As a therapist, my work is grounded in my lived experience of learning to find my own way in environments where support was limited. Those early challenges shaped my commitment to show up for others with the presence, clarity, and compassion I once needed myself. I’ve also always been someone people naturally turn to for support, and that role evolved into a purpose: helping individuals feel seen, affirmed, and deeply understood as they navigate life’s complexities. My “why” is rooted in breaking cycles, creating safety, and offering culturally responsive, liberation-focused care that honors the full humanity of the people I serve.