Meet Lacita: Trauma-Informed Therapy for Black Women in St. Louis

Hi, I’m Lacita.
I help women who are carrying the heavy weight of trauma, heartbreak, and self-doubt find freedom, peace, and a renewed sense of self. My practice, Female Empowered Progressions Counseling, was created with one mission in mind: to give women a space where their pain is validated, their voices are heard, and their healing is not rushed or minimized.

I know what it feels like to keep everything bottled up while the world expects you to be “the strong one.” Many of my clients come to me after years of being dismissed, controlled, or betrayed whether by family, partners, or systems that were supposed to protect them. They’ve learned to put others first, to push through, and to survive. But surviving isn’t the same as living. I believe therapy should be the place where you can finally lay that armor down.

My specialties are centered on helping women heal from trauma in its many forms. Whether you’re recovering from narcissistic abuse, struggling with anxiety that won’t let up, processing the grief of broken family bonds, or navigating the exhaustion of being the “fixer,” I bring a trauma-informed, compassionate approach. I use EMDR, somatic techniques, CBT, and attachment-based therapy to help you process what happened and build new, healthier ways of moving through the world.

What sets me apart as a therapist is how deeply I listen. I’m not here to hand you quick fixes or make you feel like you need to perform healing a certain way. Instead, I’ll sit with you in the hard places, honor the complexity of your story, and gently guide you toward reclaiming the parts of yourself that trauma tried to silence. Together, we’ll create practical strategies for coping while also addressing the root of your pain.

I believe every woman deserves to know what safety, love, and peace feel like in her body. In our work, you’ll learn how to set boundaries without guilt, release the shame that isn’t yours to carry, and build a sense of self-worth that can’t be shaken by other people’s opinions. You’ll also discover ways to reconnect with joy, creativity, and the future you want to step into.

Therapy with me is a collaboration. You bring your story, your resilience, and your hopes; I bring the tools, the compassion, and the space for transformation. If you’re tired of carrying this weight alone, I’d be honored to walk alongside you. You don’t have to just survive anymore. It’s time to heal and grow.

Good News! September 2025 Update: Female Empowered Progressions is currently welcoming new clients! Virtual sessions only at this time. Insurance and sliding scale options available for affordability.

License:

• I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Missouri (LPC)

Education:

• Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC), University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2018

Professional Memberships:

• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

Professional Experience:

• Alma Partner Therapist – Partnered with Alma to expand access to mental health services for counseling clients and enhance practice management for therapists through streamlined insurance, scheduling, and EHR support, 2025.

• Adjunct Clinical Supervisor for Counselors-in-Training (CIT), University of Missouri-Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, Jan 2025

• All Things Mental- Presentation “Traumatic Exposure” 2024

• University of Missouri St. Louis, Advisory Board Member, 2023-present

• University of Missouri St. Louis, Therapist Panel 2024

• Community Mental Health Therapist at a local non-profit organization specializing in providing support to female survivors of sexual and domestic violence, serving as Interim Lead Therapist from 2022 to 2023.

• Completed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) basic training in 2020.

• Conducted educational presentations on trauma for local first responders, including nurses and police officers, in 2021 and 2022.