Our Founder
The Rev. Dr. April C. Wells is an ordained Christian minister, practical theologian, and Founder & Executive Director of Wells of Wholeness, Inc.® –a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt organization providing spiritual direction and faith-integrated counseling, coaching, education, and consulting services in the greater Metropolitan Atlanta, GA area. Having completed her Spiritual Directors training in the psychological teachings of Carl Jung and the religious teachings of St. Ignatius at the Linwood Spiritual Center in Rhinebeck, NY, she serves as a Spiritual Director providing spiritual direction (companioning) to individuals, couples, families, and groups. In addition to serving as a Spiritual Director, she is a Pastoral Counselor/Psychotherapist, and licensed in the state of Georgia as a Professional Counselor (LPC) and Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) where she provides compassionate, non-judgmental care & counseling. With a vision of individual, relational, and communal wholeness, she respectfully considers the vital roles faith and spirituality play in health, well-being, and wholeness and integrates them into her spiritual direction and clinical practices.
Dr. Wells earned the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree in marketing from Howard University in Washington, DC; Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree in the psychology of religion and pastoral care from Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, GA; and the Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) degree in pastoral counseling and psychotherapy from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Her doctoral research and methodology, which was comprised of Womanist Theology, African-Centered Psychology, and Relational-Cultural Theory culminated in the completion of her doctoral dissertation titled “Pastoral Counseling as a Response to Intimate Violence and Institutional Abuse Against African American Clergywomen in Black Church Leadership: A Womanist Pastoral Theological Model.” She received her clinical pastoral counseling residency training at the Care and Counseling Center of Georgia; and clinical residency training in hospital chaplaincy at the Atlanta Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center where she assisted patients and their families in matters associated with physical and mental illness; addiction and recovery; post-traumatic stress disorder; sexual trauma, aging, palliative care, death, and grief. She has worked in higher education administration as a Registrar at ITC; Director of Student Services at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University; and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. In addition to her work in academia, Dr. Wells has served on several church pastoral staffs and ordination councils across denominations providing leadership in the areas of worship and Christian Education.
As a practical theologian who integrates academic scholarship, theological training, and clinical experience, Dr. Wells is a sought-after preacher, teacher, revivalist, counselor, conference speaker, trainer, and workshop & retreat facilitator on a variety of topics associated with emotional and spiritual healing and wholeness. Her specific areas of expertise include pastoral counseling and psychotherapy with clergy and African Americans; women's whole-health issues; and couples/pre-marital and marriage counseling where she integrates dance as a metaphor and art form in establishing healthy relationships. She also conducts training workshops for community and faith-based organizations on topics related to the role of faith in mental health; faith formation; spiritual growth & development; leadership development; social justice & youth advocacy; intimate partner/dating violence; substance abuse; HIV/AIDS education and prevention; life-transitions; and grief (including pet loss). Further, she is a member of and/or affiliated with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia; the American Psychological Association, the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education; the Society for Pastoral Theology; and the American Academy of Religion.
Dr. Wells earned the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree in marketing from Howard University in Washington, DC; Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree in the psychology of religion and pastoral care from Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, GA; and the Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) degree in pastoral counseling and psychotherapy from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Her doctoral research and methodology, which was comprised of Womanist Theology, African-Centered Psychology, and Relational-Cultural Theory culminated in the completion of her doctoral dissertation titled “Pastoral Counseling as a Response to Intimate Violence and Institutional Abuse Against African American Clergywomen in Black Church Leadership: A Womanist Pastoral Theological Model.” She received her clinical pastoral counseling residency training at the Care and Counseling Center of Georgia; and clinical residency training in hospital chaplaincy at the Atlanta Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center where she assisted patients and their families in matters associated with physical and mental illness; addiction and recovery; post-traumatic stress disorder; sexual trauma, aging, palliative care, death, and grief. She has worked in higher education administration as a Registrar at ITC; Director of Student Services at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University; and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. In addition to her work in academia, Dr. Wells has served on several church pastoral staffs and ordination councils across denominations providing leadership in the areas of worship and Christian Education.
As a practical theologian who integrates academic scholarship, theological training, and clinical experience, Dr. Wells is a sought-after preacher, teacher, revivalist, counselor, conference speaker, trainer, and workshop & retreat facilitator on a variety of topics associated with emotional and spiritual healing and wholeness. Her specific areas of expertise include pastoral counseling and psychotherapy with clergy and African Americans; women's whole-health issues; and couples/pre-marital and marriage counseling where she integrates dance as a metaphor and art form in establishing healthy relationships. She also conducts training workshops for community and faith-based organizations on topics related to the role of faith in mental health; faith formation; spiritual growth & development; leadership development; social justice & youth advocacy; intimate partner/dating violence; substance abuse; HIV/AIDS education and prevention; life-transitions; and grief (including pet loss). Further, she is a member of and/or affiliated with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia; the American Psychological Association, the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education; the Society for Pastoral Theology; and the American Academy of Religion.
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