Allison Wise, LCSW
Allison Elizabeth Wise is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience bridging behavioral health expertise with organizational leadership. She has a proven track record of designing and implementing programs that enhance psychological well-being, resilience, and sustainable performance in complex professional and community systems. Allison’s work spans private practice, nonprofit leadership, and corporate environments, giving her a unique perspective on supporting individuals and teams navigating high-stakes roles and life transitions.
In her private practice in San Diego, Allison serves as a Performance Therapist, providing consultation on resilience, stress management, and identity transitions for high-performing professionals. She utilizes trauma-informed and relational frameworks to help clients build psychological capacity and decision-making clarity while supporting those facing co-occurring mental health challenges, trauma histories, addiction, and other complex life circumstances. Her approach emphasizes sustainable growth and the integration of clinical insight with practical life and career strategies.
Previously, Allison held leadership roles at Family Promise of Morris County in New Jersey, advancing from Social Work Intern to Chief Program Officer over a 15-year tenure. She managed multidisciplinary teams, a $4.8 million budget, and a variety of programs addressing housing, crisis intervention, and resilience support for underserved and unsheltered populations. Allison led strategic realignment initiatives, developed innovative service programs, and fostered collaborations with community partners, government agencies, and healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive care for vulnerable individuals and families.
Before her career in social work, Allison gained corporate experience in high-performance environments, including Sun Life Financial Distributors and Boston Harbor Hotel, where she supported professionals in achieving performance and client engagement goals. She holds a Master of Social Work from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration, magna cum laude, from Boston University. Her academic and professional experiences reflect a dedication to fostering human potential, resilience, and meaningful impact across both individual and organizational settings.
• Fordham University - MSW
• Boston University
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• Licensed in CA and NJ
• National Association of Social Workers
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Trauma-Informed Care
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
What I value most about practicing social work is the profound privilege of helping to interrupt and heal cycles of trauma, mental illness, housing insecurity, addiction, and abuse. Throughout my career, some of my most meaningful moments have come from walking alongside individuals as they transition from homelessness into safe, stable housing—sometimes for the first time, sometimes after years of hardship. The impact of securing a home extends far beyond four walls; it restores dignity, possibility, and a foundation on which people can rebuild their lives. Bearing witness to that transformation remains one of the greatest honors of my professional journey.
I am equally deeply fulfilled by the supervisory relationships I’ve nurtured with staff and interns. Supervision—both giving and receiving—has shaped me in ways that continue to enrich my clinical work and my humanity. It is a space of mutual growth, humility, and shared discovery, where the parallel process mirrors the very principles of healing and empowerment we guide our clients through. Supporting emerging social workers as they find their voice, deepen their clinical intuition, and step into their professional identities is a privilege I hold with great care.
Ultimately, the heart of my practice lies in connection—witnessing resilience, fostering growth, and creating environments where individuals, teams, and communities can move toward wholeness. It is in these relational moments that I find the greatest sense of purpose and joy.