Kalila Griffin — Vitaes Contributors

Kalila Griffin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Seattle who has built her career supporting communities of color across schools, nonprofits, and counseling settings. She holds a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from Antioch University Seattle, with a focus on sex therapy and education, and has spent years working as a therapist, outreach specialist, and academic support staff at elementary through college levels. If you're interested in mental health, social work, or community advocacy, Kalila's path shows how those passions can grow into a meaningful, multifaceted career.

Their story

I love connecting with people and hear their stories. Family Thereapist

9 min

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Key quotes

“I really love being able to connect with people and hear their story. A lot of being a therapist is listening. You're trying to understand this other person and their life, their worldview and the issues that they have.”
Kalila Griffin, LMFT

“Being a therapist, actually it's evidence based that the role of the therapist or like who the therapist is and the relationship is actually more important than the actual theory or interventions that you use.”
Kalila Griffin, LMFT

“There are not a lot of black therapists, let alone black sex educators, let alone black sex therapist. And so in my program as well, it's like, I would be in a classroom. It's just me.”
Kalila Griffin, LMFT

“I've taken out tons of loans to do this program. This is not like — I mean, I got some scholarships because I did that work, but it's a very expensive program to go through.”
Kalila Griffin, LMFT

“I realized being a teacher was actually not the role that I wanted. I really want to work with young people to help them heal and work through these different kind of traumas.”
Kalila Griffin, LMFT

Career highlights

Your undergrad major doesn't have to match your career — your experiences and what moves you do.

Kalila majored in English, considered teaching and law school, and pivoted to therapy after working in schools and witnessing how trauma was affecting kids' ability to learn.

Research graduate programs carefully — specializations matter and not all programs are the same.

Kalila highlights that Antioch University Seattle is the only program she knows of that offers a sex therapy and sex education focus, which matched her specific career interests.

Know the real financial path: expect low or no pay as an intern, but earning potential grows significantly with experience and private practice.

Kalila was earning zero dollars as an intern but explained that therapists in private practice can set their own rates — sometimes $150 per session — and can reach six figures.

The therapeutic relationship — who you are as a person — matters more than the theory you use.

Kalila cites evidence that the connection between therapist and client is actually more predictive of outcomes than the specific interventions used, which validates why diverse therapists are so needed.

Be honest with yourself about the barriers in this field, including cost and racial underrepresentation, so you can plan and advocate accordingly.

Kalila openly discussed how expensive grad school is, how she noticed many classmates had inherited wealth or affluent spouses, and how she was often the only Black person in the room.

Your presence in a predominantly white field is not just personal — it's political and it's needed.

Kalila noted that Black therapists, and especially Black sex therapists and educators, are extremely rare, making her path both challenging and critically important for communities of color.

Student summary

Kalila Griffin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Seattle who found her way to mental health through a winding path — she started with an English degree, considered teaching and law, and ultimately discovered her calling while working in schools and seeing how much trauma and struggle kids were carrying. Her story is a great example of how your major doesn't have to lock you in, and how paying attention to what moves you can redirect your whole career trajectory.

As a therapist intern at the time of this recording, Kalila works with families navigating real, heavy stuff — the stress of COVID-19, behavioral challenges in kids, domestic violence, and the pressure of just surviving day to day. She breaks down what the job actually looks like: a lot of listening, building genuine trust with clients, and yes, a whole lot of paperwork. She's honest that interns often start with little to no pay, but explains how earning potential grows significantly — especially in private practice.

Kalila is transparent about the financial realities of grad school. She took out loans, saw classmates who had generational wealth or high-earning spouses to fall back on, and names what many students of color already know: access to higher education is not equal. A master's degree is typically required in this field, whether you go the counseling or social work route, and that cost is real. But she also got scholarships and kept pushing — and she's almost done.

One of the most powerful parts of Kalila's story is her honesty about being one of very few Black women in her program. She talks about what it means to be underrepresented in a field that is supposed to be about healing people — and why that makes therapists like her even more necessary. For students of color who want to be in rooms where people look like them and understand their experiences, her presence in this field matters deeply.

If you're drawn to helping people, love listening and connecting, and want a career that combines psychology, community, and advocacy, Kalila's path is worth studying closely. She also points students toward Antioch University Seattle for its unique specialization in sex therapy and education — a niche that is especially underrepresented among practitioners of color.

Kalila Griffin(she/her)

Their story

I love connecting with people and hear their stories. Family Thereapist