Who am I?
I am Samele A. Mayfield, LCSW, a born and bred Bay Area native with dual Bachelors in Psychology-Addiction and Recovery and Psychology-Biblical Counseling from Liberty University and a Master of Social Work with a clinical concentration from Walden University. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Social Work. My research focus is the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on interpersonal relationships in Black women (my ACE score is 8).
I have a wealth of varied and valuable experience and am here to help you tackle life’s changes. I have been the director of volunteers and life groups at a major church and a clinician in a County Behavioral Health unit, supporting adults with severe and persistent mental illness. Currently, I serve at a trauma recovery center, helping individuals gain the necessary tools to transition from victim to survivor. My ultimate goals? Owning a thriving group practice, shaping emerging clinicians through supervision, and eventually lending my expertise at the collegiate level.
My approach to healing is holistic…mental health and faith can go hand in hand. Self-care isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. I preach this message loud and clear.
Beyond my work, I am a proud mom to three amazing adults (who I call my “littles”) and my dog. When I’m not buried in books or research, you’ll find me crafting, baking for Sugah B Confections (a business I swear I’m retired from), or serving and celebrating sisterhood with my fellow members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.
How’d I get to the therapy space?
You saw my ACE score, right?
Seriously though… life was lifing when I was a kid and teen. I was always smart—I could pretty much do whatever I put my mind to. But college? Yeah, that wasn’t my thing. I dropped out after my first year because the whole “disciplined life” wasn’t for me (or so I acted). I tried returning a few times, but reality hit: I had a child to support by 22, so I had to get a job.
Fast forward through marriage and two more kids—I decided to go to school for baking because I had a cake business. I got my certificate in Baking & Pastry and kept pushing forward. A few years (and some serious marital challenges) later, I worked as a receptionist at my church. While healing from my marriage, I also started healing from childhood wounds. That’s when I remembered: I used to have dreams.
With encouragement from my mentor, I decided to give school another shot. Nothing too ambitious—just an AA to start (because, let’s be real, I had already dropped out once, so I wasn’t about to set myself up for failure). But once I got in, something clicked. I realized I wanted to work in mental health. Even more, I wanted to eventually be in a college setting, helping students who had been through life circumstances like mine—so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes or feel like dropping out was their only option.
That’s when I discovered social work was so much more than I thought…it wasn’t “taking people’s kids.” It was versatile, impactful, and exactly where I needed to be.
As a social worker, I get to wear multiple hats. My internships confirmed my love for therapy and community-based work. My first clinical supervisor gave me the best gift: permission to bring my whole self into the therapy space. My very first client as an intern told me, “I wasn’t really thinking about this therapy thing—I just came because my partner gave me an ultimatum. But this stuff works!”
