Cheralyn Leeby Ph.D., LMFT

Cheralyn Leeby, Ph.D., LMFT, (creator of Soul Life) has over 30 years of training and experience as a Florida Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is an adjunct professor at the University of North Florida, Brooks College of Health, Department of Behavioral Health. She is a holistic psychotherapist specializing in creative, expressive, multi-modal therapies. She has specialized certifications and training in Jungian art and play therapy, mandala and color therapy, meditation, Toltec teachings, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, family systems therapy, attachment theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Holographic Memory Resolution, Parent Nurturing, yin yoga, Reiki, and more.

Dr. Leeby graduated from Vanderbilt University with both a Master’s and Bachelor’s of Science Degree. She earned her Doctorate from the University of Florida. Dr. Leeby is a trauma-informed specialist with experience in public and private psychiatric hospitals, substance abuse recovery centers, community mental health centers and she was the former the director of the Prince George’s County Rape and Sexual Assault Center in Cheverly, Maryland. Dr. Leeby has worked and operated a private practice in Florida since 2006.

Dr. Leeby created Soul Life as a platform for community intervention and wellness education. She leads workshops and retreats for adults, couples and teens in the USA and Mexico. Soul Life workshops teach tools for healthy living from a multi-disciplinary and experiential approach outside the therapy office. Dr. Leeby also works with The Goodness Tour, a global, non-profit organization bringing music and art to people facing adversity, as a clinical coordinator, researcher, grant writer, and program volunteer.

Dr. Leeby is regularly featured on local news programs, podcasts, and conferences to share her creative therapies and tools for transformation. She is a featured author in two internationally best-selling compilation books, “The Courageous Heart: Finding Strength in Difficult Times” (Schaefer, K. 2020) and “The Grateful Soul: The Art and Practice of Gratitude” (Schaefer, K. 2020). Dr. Leeby created many therapeutic games and prototype tools for her clients including, “Going To Court,” an interactive board game used to help children understand the legal system.

Artichoke Alchemy: A Journey to the Heart is her debut self-help book (not yet published). Move over onion, there’s a new metaphor in town for therapeutic self-discovery! No offense to Vadalia and her relatives but, we are so much more than smelly, flimsy skins that lead to nothing. With the artichoke imagery, we can envision uncovering the heart while honoring our armor (the protective, thorny leaves developed from experiences that shape us). Our true essence, like the artichoke heart, lies beneath our armor graced and crystalized by time, space, circumstance, pressure and pain.

Dr. Leeby is on a mission to Feed Hope to the world by helping others discover their gifts of the heart. She is ever evolving as an entrepreneur, educator, practitioner, writer, constant learner, wife of 30 years, mother of two grown children, and absolute lover of life.