Lily Kohler, MSW, LMSW

Hello! My name is Lily Kohler (they/them/theirs), and I’m so glad you’re here! I am a provisionally licensed therapist here at The Oak Center. When here I provide individual therapy and help co-facilitiate groups. We all have our own journeys and for some of us those journeys can be harder than others, learning new ways to cope and heal from our past experiences allows us to move forward through life a little easier. I would love to help you on that journey!

I specialize in work with adolescent and young adult clients who: 

  • Believe/know they are neurodivergent (especially in the realm of Autism, ADHD, and OCD) 

  • Those with chronic self-harm and suicidality concerns

  • Those who have experienced severe trauma or have PTSD/CPTSD

  • Identify in the LGBTQIA+ community (or are exploring these identities) 

  • Those who have tried other types of therapy and found they didn’t quite work for them

I was a first generation college student and received my Bachelors of Science in Clinical Research Psychology with a minor in Gender Studies at Stephens College. Upon entering school I knew I wanted to be some kind of therapist, but I didn’t have a major idea of what modality I really wanted to focus on. After some time away from school I found myself working at a substance use rehabilitation program for adolescents in the area. There I found that the youth who had struggled with making progress in other modalities would thrive with DBT skills. They were straightforward and easy to make accommodations to have them fit into the youth’s day-to-day life. They also helped with big emotions, black and white thinking, and challenging unhelpful thoughts without negating the importance of the impact they hold. Due to this experience and knowing the clients I wanted to work with in the future I felt DBT was the route for me to pursue as a clinician. 

I received my MSW in May 2025 from The University of Missouri - Columbia’s Social Work Program. While there I completed my practicums as a clinician with the Integrated Behavioral Health Center, a free local therapy practice run by professors of the social work program, and at a small private DBT clinic that is housed in Kansas City. In these spaces I was able to get experience as an individual therapist and group facilitator while also learning how to work on a DBT team and receive feedback from both clients and my team. That being said, I am always someone who feels passionate about learning and growing. If we work together in the future please never hesitate to give me any feedback you may have! 

When I’m not at The Oak Center there’s a good chance I’m at home with my cat. His name is Theo and he’s a massive orange tabby who follows me everywhere. I spend a lot of my time reading, doing fiber arts (like knitting, crochet, and embroidery), playing music, playing video games, and hanging out with my friends. I love to do community building in the area and have found I am able to take care of myself and others better when I make time regularly for activism.

As a provisionally licensed master social worker (LMSW), Lily is currently being supervised by Clare Bogle, MSW, LCSW (License No. 2020006107).