Leah Niehaus is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over two decades of clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and families. She is the Founder and Clinical Director of The Wellness Collective, a group therapy practice in Hermosa Beach, California, where she leads a team of clinicians specializing in individual, family, and group therapy across the lifespan. A specialist in adolescent mental health, Leah works with teenagers individually, alongside their families, and in interpersonal process groups — bringing a comprehensive, layered approach to supporting young people through some of the most formative years of their lives.

Leah's clinical roots run deep — from community mental health and public child welfare with foster youth to psychiatric social work at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital. Leah sits on the Manhattan Beach Unified School District Medical Advisory Board, Beach Cities Health District Student Mental Health Task Force, and the South Bay Women's Care Collective — roles that reflect her ongoing commitment to supporting individuals at the community level. She speaks and writes on topics related to adolescence, parenting, group therapy, and clinical supervision.

In addition to her clinical work, Leah authors Lighter Touch with Leah, a newsletter for parents that blends practical guidance with genuine inspiration for raising kids with more ease and connection. She also facilitates Roots & Wings: A Circle for Moms Raising Teens, a support group for mothers navigating the beautiful, complicated terrain of adolescence. A parent of three children — ages 21, 18, and 16 — she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to everything she does. She was recognized by the City of Hermosa Beach as Best of Clinical Social Work in 2023.