Rate Lashuan Gary

I’m a Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice (LISW-CP) based in South Carolina, with experience working with individuals and families navigating life transitions, trauma, relational stress, identity development, and emotional regulation. I currently hold a Master of Social Work and am completing my Doctor of Social Work (DSW) at the University of Kentucky, where my clinical research centers on identity, self-determination, and the ways external forces like systems, relationships, and circumstances can disrupt a person’s ability to define themselves on their own terms.

My work is grounded in the belief that people are not their problems. You are the expert on your own life, and my role is to walk alongside you as you reconnect with that knowing.

I have worked with children, adolescents, adults, and families across a range of clinical settings, with particular depth in family systems, behavioral health, co-parenting dynamics, and parent-child relationships. I have supported clients through grief, anxiety, depression, life transitions, family court involvement, parenting stress, and the quiet but real weight of simply trying to hold everything together. I have also worked extensively with high-functioning individuals such as professionals, parents, and caregivers who appear fine from the outside but are carrying more than anyone around them realizes.

I draw from a strengths-based, person-centered foundation and integrate elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), narrative therapy, and trauma-informed care. I don’t believe one framework fits every person, so I adapt my approach based on who you are, what you’re carrying, and where you want to go. Sessions with me tend to feel direct and collaborative. I will not simply reflect your words back to you. I will engage with you honestly, ask the questions worth sitting with, and help you build clarity where there is currently fog. I believe therapy should feel like progress, not just processing.

Whether you are navigating anxiety, depression, a difficult relationship, a major life transition, parenting challenges, or a deeper question about who you are and what you want your life to mean, I can help you find your footing. My work is especially meaningful with clients who are ready to move beyond surviving and begin building the life they actually want. You deserve support that takes you seriously. I’m here for that.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​