Cerise Lewis, PhD, LMFT, LPCC

Dr. Cerise Lewis is a native of Minneapolis, MN. She attended Minneapolis South High School and attended Hampton University, Hampton, VA, majoring in Chemical Engineering. After earning her Bachelor's degree, she began working as a product development engineer at 3M and paused her technical career to serve as the business manager in two nonprofits she co-founded with her husband, IMPACT International and Resurrecting Faith World Ministries. She also started Pink Purse, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving women. After 11 years, Dr. Lewis returned to the corporate sector accepting roles of increasing responsibility in Research and Development and Supply Chain.

 

Working with people for over 25 years in corporate and church settings, Cerise desired to learn more about how to help people navigate relationship problems, communication, and various mental illnesses. In 2015, Dr. Lewis returned to school to pursue a master's in Marriage and Family Counseling Therapy at Capella University. She began working in private practice in 2017, serving individuals, couples and families. She continued her studies in the Capella Counselor Education and Supervision program earning a Ph.D. in November 2021. Dr. Lewis’s 2022 ASERVIC Research Award-Winning doctoral dissertation was entitled Counselor Educators’ Experiences Teaching Students to Integrate Faith and Spirituality Into Clinical work. Dr. Lewis is licensed as an MFT and LPCC in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

 

Dr. Lewis has found her niche working with individuals, couples, and families of color to help them heal and improve their relationships and overall wellness. She also supervises prelicensed clinicians. She is credentialed with the MN BMFT and the MN BBHT and is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Dr. Lewis is accepting new supervisees and interns and will accept new therapy clients starting in April 2023 for virtual and in-person sessions. Her business also trains counseling professionals in cultural competence and professional identity development.

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In addition to private practice, Dr. Lewis is an adjunct instructor in the MACP program at Yorkville University and Spring Arbor University's Master of Arts Counseling program. She aims to strengthen cultural competence and professional identity by training counselors to integrate faith and spirituality into clinical work while helping them become confident and culturally responsive to clients’ needs. Dr. Lewis is passionate about research related to faith and spirituality in clinical practice. In addition to working at Yorkville and in private practice, she is a member of several professional associations, including the American Association for Marriage and Family Counseling Therapy (AAMFT), the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT), the American Association for Christian Counselors (AACC), and the Midwest Association of Christian Counselors (MACC).

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Dr. Lewis has been married to Pastor Connell F. Lewis, Sr., for 29 years. They have six adult children and three grandchildren. Additionally, she serves as the women's ministry leader at her church. She also enjoys gardening, movies, and spectator sports.