Dr. Ricardo Gillispie, PhD, LCSW, LCSW

Dr. Ricardo Gillispie, PhD, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a long-standing career in behavioral health, program development, and psychotherapy. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from Mississippi Valley State University in 1973 and went on to complete a Master of Social Work at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1975 as part of the university’s first MSW cohort. He later completed a PhD in Social Work at Jackson State University in 2000, with a primary focus in psychotherapeutic social work.

Over the years, Dr. Gillispie has served in a range of clinical and leadership roles across Mississippi and beyond. Prior to retiring from private practice, he was part owner and CEO of Family Counseling Services, PLLC in Meridian, Mississippi, a group practice that included psychiatrists and other licensed mental health professionals. In private practice, his work emphasized marriage and family therapy and cognitive and affective concerns, including depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder.

Following retirement from private practice, he accepted a role as a group therapist for Rush/Ochsner Intensive Outpatient Psychogeriatric Programs throughout East Mississippi, supporting older adults in structured outpatient care. He has also provided consultation to psychogeriatric intensive outpatient programs, contributing to program development for geriatric patients and offering training for social workers, psychiatrists, and nurses, as well as surveying programs in accordance with CMS guidelines.

Dr. Gillispie’s professional background also includes extensive work in public systems. He served as a consultant with East Mississippi Correctional Facility, where he designed an exclusive mental health program in corrections, and later became Deputy Warden of Mental Health Programs while continuing his private practice. Earlier in his career, he worked as Assistant Director for Region Ten (Weems) Mental Health Center, where he developed grants and supported service delivery across a nine-county area in East Central Mississippi. He also served as Clinical Director and an investor of Laurel Wood Psychiatric Hospital in Meridian.

In addition to clinical work, Dr. Gillispie has contributed to the profession through leadership and service, including recognition as the first Social Worker of the Year by the Mississippi Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in 1992. He served fifteen years on the Meridian School Board of Trustees, including two terms as president, and represented multiple states as a Region Ten NASW Representative for the Nomination and Leadership Committee. In 1994, he was appointed to the first Mississippi Social Workers Licensure Board and served one term as chairman. His work has also included auditing correctional facilities for the American Correctional Association and serving as a psychiatric social worker surveyor consultant for the Center of Medicaid/Medicare Services (CMS).

Dr. Gillispie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Diplomat in Clinical Social Work, and is certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers. In 2006, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Meridian Community College. He has also taught as a part-time instructor for Mississippi State University School of Social Working - Meridian Branch, Meridian Community College, and as an adjunct faculty member (as stated in his biography).