Our Team of Counselors & Therapists
Note about Insurance/Payment: The Well accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna Plans. We accept self-pay clients, as well as self-pay on a sliding scale basis with clients who have need. We want to help you receive the care you need affordably, whether that is with us or another practice/practitioner.
Therapist // Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Khaliyah Stroud, MS, LCMHC
Khaliyah discovered her passion for helping others at just nine years old, and this calling led her to pursue a career in mental health. She specializes in creating a safe and supportive space for individuals, families, and groups to heal, grow, and strengthen their self-worth. She holds a BA in Psychology and Music from Johnson C. Smith University and an MS in Clinical Psychology from Capella University. Currently pursuing an Ed.D in Traumatology at Liberty University, Khaliyah is also certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, an evidence-based approach to treating trauma and PTSD.
Khaliyah brings years of experience working with children and adolescents, including time spent on an Intensive In-Home Team, and now provides individual, family, and group therapy for clients of all ages. Her therapeutic approach is client-centered and trauma-informed, and she is deeply committed to helping each person reach their fullest potential. Outside of therapy, Khaliyah enjoys singing—she has performed in three operas, including Aida and Porgy and Bess—and is also a published poet featured in a collective poetry anthology!
Therapist // Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Carmelia Ward, MSW, LCSW
Carmelia is a licensed clinical social worker in North Carolina who supports adolescents and adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, identity exploration, burnout, and life transitions. She specializes in high-functioning anxiety, emotional wellness, interpersonal challenges, and helping clients reconnect with themselves in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Carmelia’s approach is trauma-informed, person-centered, collaborative, and mindfulness-based. She strives to create a space where clients feel genuinely seen, heard, and safe enough to show up authentically without judgment or pressure to be perfect. She values understanding the whole person, not just symptoms, and works alongside clients to build emotional awareness, self-compassion, confidence, healthy boundaries, and nervous system regulation.
She especially enjoys working with BIPOC and LGBTQIA individuals, young adults, and clients navigating perfectionism, relationship challenges, and major life transitions. Carmelia incorporates evidence-based approaches including CBT, DBT, ACT, somatic practices, person-centered therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, and culturally responsive care to support clients in their healing and growth.
Rabbi Dr. Lisa V. Ehrler, DO, MA
Rabbi Lisa is a Certified North Carolina Fee-Based Pastoral Counselor. She completed her Psychotherapy and Pastoral Counseling Internship at The Well. She is friendly and easy to talk to. She believes strongly in her clients' resilience and works to inspire hope and confidence in them. Lisa feels privileged to support people on their journeys, offering tailored care. She provides counseling for grief and loss, anxiety and depression, life transitions, perinatal mental health, spiritual concerns, relationship issues, and stress management. Lisa believes everyone can benefit from support when facing life's challenges. She holds a BA in Psychology from Hiram College and an MA in Jewish Studies and Education from Gratz College. She was ordained as a Jewish Renewal Rabbi in January 2022 and earned her Master of Pastoral Counseling degree from Regent University in spring 2024.
Lisa is a certified Grief Counselor and Clinical Anxiety Treatment Specialist, so she can offer personalized support and proven strategies to people dealing with loss or anxiety. She is also PSI-certified in Perinatal Mental Health, which helps her provide caring, knowledgeable support to individuals and families during pregnancy and after childbirth. These certifications help her meet a variety of client needs with skill, understanding, and practical healing tools.
With 30 years of experience as an OB-GYN, Lisa understands how physical and mental health are interconnected. She also has a Behavioral Health certification from UMass CIPC, which allows her to support patients' mental health in primary care. If you would like to schedule a consultation or learn more about her counseling services, please get in touch to start your journey toward support and healing.
Pastoral Counselor // Psychotherapist
Therapist // Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate
Justis Mitchell, MDiv., MSW, LCSWA
Justis is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the Associate Level (LCSWA) in the state of North Carolina. Justis received a Master of Divinity and Master of Social Work dual degree through Duke Divinity School and UNC-Chapel Hill (2025). They also received a Bachelor's of Education degree through the Human Development and Family Studies program at UNC-Chapel Hill (2021). In addition to these degrees, Justis is also a Provisionally Ordained Deacon in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Justis employs person-centered therapy modalities that are adaptive and flexible to the needs and strengths of their clients. Justis is drawn to these modalities because of the ways that they center and honor the client as the expert in their own experience.
Justis uses various counseling approaches that include Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing, and Attachment-Focused therapies. Justis believes that the therapeutic process is a journey of exploration, where they get to walk alongside their clients as they seek to articulate the stories that have made them, are making them, and the ones yet to come. Justis' therapeutic areas of expertise are as follows: Religious Trauma/Spiritual Abuse, Grief, Life Transitions, Gender and Sexuality Formation, Body Image/Self-Confidence, and Trauma.
Somatic Wellness Coach // Social Work Intern // Speaker & Educator
Precious Stepney, MPA, MSW Intern
Passionate about embodied healing, community care, and personal transformation, Precious Stepney (she/her) helps individuals move from burnout to balance through somatic practices, mindfulness, and radical rest. She is the founder of Body Mind Stretch and a social work intern at The Well Mental and Spiritual Center, where she supports trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, and purpose-aligned living.
With over 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership and advanced training as a Duke Health & Wellbeing Coach, Precious blends Eastern wellness modalities, somatic movement, and culturally attuned coaching to guide changemakers, caregivers, and emerging leaders—especially those from BIPOC communities—through life’s transitions with clarity and care.
Currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at UNC-Chapel Hill, Precious integrates her experience as a yoga teacher, iRest Level 2 meditation facilitator, and wellness strategist to empower others toward sustainable healing and soulful growth.
Focus Areas:
• 1:1 & group trauma-sensitive support
• Life transitions & professional reinvention
• Somatic coaching for purpose and clarity
• Equity-rooted wellness for BIPOC and under represented communities
Social Work Intern // Spiritual Director
Ryan Eves, MSW Intern
After 20 years in non-profit leadership focused on creating safe spaces for all, Ryan Eves (he/him) is transitioning into the world of mental health services and spiritual direction. Access to quality mental health care is critical, and Ryan is excited to join The Well’s team as a social work intern, where his focus will be on strengthening community partnerships.
Ryan is a Raleigh native and recently graduated from the NC Institute for Spiritual Direction & Formation. He is pursuing his MSW through the University of Kentucky and plans to graduate in May 2027. Ryan lives in Raleigh with his wife and two daughters.
Rev. Ismael Ruiz-Millán, MDiv., DA Student
Ismael (él/he) es pastor ordenado en la Iglesia Metodista Unida y cuenta con más de veinte años de experiencia pastoral y de liderazgo sirviendo en iglesias locales, en Duke Divinity School y en la Conferencia de Carolina del Norte de la Iglesia Metodista Unida. Originario de San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, México, ha servido a diversas comunidades, con un enfoque en el cuidado pastoral, el desarrollo de liderazgo, la humildad cultural y la transformación comunitaria.
Actualmente cursa un doctorado en Matrimonio y Terapia Familiar en Eastern University, en Pensilvania. Ismael tiene una profunda pasión por integrar la salud mental, la espiritualidad y el cuidado holístico de maneras que fomenten la sanidad, la resiliencia y el sentido de pertenencia. Está especialmente interesado en acompañar a comunidades e individuos minorizados que han experimentado trauma racial, opresión internalizada y marginación sistémica. Asimismo, está comprometido con apoyar a inmigrantes, el bienestar del clero y las comunidades que enfrentan desafíos culturales y sistémicos.
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Ismael (he/him/él) is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and brings more than twenty years of pastoral and leadership experience serving in local churches, Duke Divinity School, and the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. Originally from San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, he has served diverse English and Spanish-speaking communities with a focus on pastoral care, leadership development, cultural humility, and community transformation.
Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Eastern University in Pennsylvania, Ismael is passionate about integrating mental health, spirituality, and holistic care in ways that foster healing, resilience, and belonging. He is especially interested in accompanying minoritized communities and individuals who have experienced racial trauma, internalized oppression, and systemic marginalization. He is also committed to supporting immigrants, clergy well being and communities navigating cultural and systemic challenges.
Estudiante en Prácticas de Terapia Matrimonial y Familiar // Marriage and Family Therapy Practicum Student