GDC LEADERSHIP
Asha
Clark-Carter
M.S., LPC (MO), LCPC (IL)
Clinical Administrator & Contracted Wellness Provider
Clinical Care and Operational Leadership, Grounded in the Whole Person
I am a licensed professional counselor, behavioral health practice owner, clinical administrator, and mental health advocate whose work has consistently centered on helping people access thoughtful, coordinated, and responsive care.
My experience spans direct clinical practice, behavioral health administration, consultation, private practice development, treatment planning, care coordination, and community wellness. I have worked across private practice, nonprofit, hospital, clinic, school, and health insurance settings, giving me the opportunity to understand mental health care from several sides of the system.
That perspective shapes how I approach both clinical work and leadership. I believe effective mental health services require more than strong clinical skills. They also require thoughtful systems, clear communication, coordinated care, and organizational practices that support the people receiving services as well as the professionals providing them.
My clinical background informs my wellness and leadership work; through GDC, I provide The Leader’s Well©, Wellness Coaching, and Wellness Workshops, and do not provide psychotherapy.
Clinician
Practice Owner
Leader
Areas of Expertise
Behavioral Health Practice Development
As both a clinician and practice owner, I understand the clinical and operational considerations involved in building and sustaining behavioral health services. My experience includes practice administration, intake systems, treatment planning, workflow development, and the day-to-day realities of managing mental health services.
Clinical Operations & Administration
Quality care depends on thoughtful systems behind the scenes. I bring experience in clinical administration, billing, case management, coordination of services, documentation processes, and practice operations that support both clients and clinicians.
Clinical Consultation & Care Coordination
My clinical background allows me to support thoughtful treatment planning, case consultation, and coordination of care. I value collaborative approaches that consider the whole person while helping providers and organizations navigate complex clinical needs.
Mental Health, Trauma & Wellbeing
My clinical experience includes supporting teens and adults navigating anxiety, depression, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, intergenerational trauma, vicarious trauma, life transitions, and burnout. This work continues to inform how I understand wellness across individuals, families, clinicians, and organizations.
“My professional journey has allowed me to experience behavioral health care from several perspectives.”
My Path to Behavioral Health Leadership
As a clinician, I have worked directly with teens and adults navigating anxiety, depression, perinatal mood and anxiety concerns, intergenerational trauma, vicarious trauma, major life transitions, and burnout.
As a practice owner, I oversee the clinical and operational responsibilities required to deliver quality care, including intake, treatment planning, practice administration, and business operations through The Gathering Wellness Initiative, LLC.
At GDC, my role as Clinical Administrator & Contracted Wellness Provider allows me to bring those experiences together. I support clinical operations, care coordination, consultation, case management, billing, and the administrative systems that help a group practice function effectively.
My work has also extended into community and professional leadership. I have served as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Leader with Charlie Health, remain an active member of ForbesBLK, serve on the board of Eight Dimensions Wellness Center, and have previously served on the boards of the Josette Hodge Foundation and Be Well Cafe.
Across each of these roles, a common thread has remained: helping create stronger connections between people, care, resources, and the systems intended to support them.
Professional Background
I earned my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University and my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.
My career has included work across private practice, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, clinics, schools, and health insurance environments. This variety has given me a broad understanding of how behavioral health services are experienced not only by clients, but also by clinicians, administrators, organizations, and the communities they serve.
Clinically, my work is informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. I am also DBT certified.
My experience as both a clinician and behavioral health administrator has strengthened my understanding of the connection between quality clinical care and the operational systems surrounding it. Intake processes, treatment planning, communication, documentation, care coordination, administrative workflows, and practice culture all influence the experience of care.
That connection continues to shape the way I approach leadership and consultation.
Education
Clinical Credentials & Training
Leadership & Community Involvement
What Guides My Work
“I believe mental health care works best when we consider the whole person and the larger systems influencing their wellbeing.”
People do not experience anxiety, trauma, burnout, life transitions, or emotional distress in isolation. Their relationships, families, workplaces, communities, identities, access to resources, and experiences within healthcare systems all matter.
That is one reason I value a holistic approach to mental health and wellness.
My clinical experience keeps me grounded in the realities of the people seeking support. My administrative and practice ownership experience gives me an additional perspective on what it takes to create systems that make that support accessible, coordinated, and sustainable.
I also believe clinicians and helping professionals need systems that support them in doing quality work. Strong behavioral health practices require attention to both clinical excellence and the operational structures that allow clinicians to focus on care.
Whether I am working with an individual, supporting another clinician, helping strengthen practice operations, or contributing to community wellness, I approach the work with the same goal: creating conditions that help people receive the support they need and move toward healthier, more sustainable lives.
Pathways of Support
My clinical background informs the wellness and leadership support I provide through GDC.
The Leader’s Well©
Leadership development and wellness coaching grounded in GDC’s Person-First Leadership Model©.
Wellness Coaching
Support for strengthening wellbeing and developing sustainable wellness practices.
Wellness Workshops
Interactive learning experiences focused on wellbeing and practical wellness skills.
These are contracted wellness services and do not include psychotherapy through GDC.
Beyond the Work
Outside of my professional roles, I enjoy slowing down with a good book, watching science fiction and fantasy movies, attending local events, and exploring food from different cultures and parts of the world.
I value experiences that allow me to stay curious, connected, and open to perspectives beyond my own.
Two of the roles most important to me are being a wife and a mother. My family remains an important source of connection, perspective, and meaning in my life.