Dr. Aja D. King, EdD, LPCC
Founder of Brave Defiance Consulting, LLC and the Workplace with Dignity Institute. Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, counseling psychologist, organizational consultant, speaker, and retreat facilitator with 25+ years of mental health and applied organizational experience. Based in Brooklyn Park, MN.
Dr. King's work sits at the intersection of clinical depth and organizational reality — built on the belief that people should not have to shrink, perform, silence themselves, or live in chronic survival mode to keep a job, lead a team, or belong in a workplace.
Professional Credentials
| License / Authorization | Obtained | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota LPCC #944 | 03/01/2015 | 02/28/2027 |
| Alabama LPC #LPC05601 | 2025 | 07/31/2026 |
| Florida Telehealth Registration #TPMC5459 | 2024 | No expiration listed |
| Georgia Counseling Compact Privilege #LPC-GA-1505 | 06/10/2026 | 02/28/2027 |
| Indiana Counseling Compact Privilege #LPC-IN-1506 | 06/10/2026 | 02/28/2027 |
| Ohio Counseling Compact Privilege #LPC-OH-1507 | 06/10/2026 | 02/28/2027 |
Trauma-informed. Culturally responsive. Practical.
Dr. King draws from multiple evidence-based frameworks, integrated rather than applied in isolation, to meet people where they actually are.
Trauma-Informed Care
Understanding behavior and emotion through the lens of what's been survived, not pathology alone.
IFS-Informed
Helping people understand and reconnect with the different parts of themselves shaped by workplace harm.
CBT & DBT
Practical tools for emotional regulation, thought patterns, and distress tolerance.
Somatic & Nervous System Awareness
Recognizing how chronic workplace stress lives in the body, not just the mind.
Culturally Responsive
Care that accounts for identity, power, and context rather than a one-size-fits-all model.
Solution-Focused
Pairing reflection with concrete, actionable next steps — not insight alone.
From doctoral research to a dignity-centered practice.
Minnesota Licensure
Began practicing as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Minnesota.
Doctoral Research
Completed doctoral research on the relationship between workplace bullying and professional identity development among women. This research continues to inform Dr. King's work with workplace harm, professional identity disruption, burnout, loneliness, and dignity-centered repair.
Founded Brave Defiance Consulting, LLC
Launched a practice spanning licensed clinical counseling and organizational consultation.
Multi-State Expansion
Added Alabama licensure, Florida telehealth registration, and Counseling Compact privileges across Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio.
The Workplace with Dignity Institute
Built as the training, education, and culture-repair arm of Brave Defiance Consulting.
Full dissertation methodology (201 participants, NAQ-R and NPIS instruments) is detailed on the Dignity Institute page for readers who want the research depth.
Books by Dr. Aja King.
Dr. King is also a published children's book author, carrying the same themes of identity, courage, and belonging to younger readers.
Finding My Cool
Written by Dr. Aja King. Illustrated by LaSquizzie Kern and Breanna Goudeau.
View on AmazonDignity-centered, not passive. Direct, not shaming. Clinical, cultural, organizational — and deeply human.
I believe people should not have to lose themselves to keep a job, lead a team, or serve a mission. Workplace bullying is not just conflict. Burnout is not a personal failure.
Brave Defiance Consulting and the Workplace with Dignity Institute exist to help people and organizations tell the truth about what is happening, understand the impact, and build practical pathways toward dignity, repair, and reconnection.
Speaker. Trainer. Clinician. Consultant.
Dr. King facilitates listening sessions, leadership intensives, retreats, and workshops across clinical, nonprofit, education, government, and community settings — bringing the same clinical rigor to a boardroom that she brings to a therapy session.
