About Dr. Easley

Dr. Olivia Easley is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, scholar, and advocate with nearly a decade of experience supporting individuals, couples, and communities in healing. As the founder of Kindred Connections Counseling PLLC, she brings deep expertise in multicultural counseling, narrative approaches, trauma-informed care, and culturally responsive practice to every session.

Dr. Easley holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Counseling and Counselor Education (CACREP accredited) from North Carolina A&T State University, where her dissertation centered on a Black Feminist Disability Framework and the lived experiences of Black women living with PCOS. This groundbreaking work is among the first to examine PCOS/PMOS through the intersection of race, gender, and disability — highlighting how Black women's experiences with this condition are shaped by systemic inequities in healthcare, cultural stigma, and the emotional toll of navigating a diagnosis that is chronically under-researched in communities of color. Her scholarship fills a critical gap in counseling literature and provides a foundation for culturally responsive, affirming care for those affected by PMOS. Her scholarly work is regularly presented at national counseling conferences and is actively shaping conversations around community wellness, social justice, and healing.

She currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of the Cumberlands and as President-Elect for the NC Counseling Association's Division of Multicultural Counseling and Development — bringing her commitment to advocacy, cultural responsiveness, and clinician education into every aspect of her work.

Areas of clinical focus

Education & licensure

Selected scholarship & leadership