I was born and raised in the Boogie Down a.k.a Bronx, NY. My mother is an African American woman born in the Bronx culturally influenced by her mother who migrated from North Carolina. My father is an Afro-Caribbean born and raised in Jamaica with seventeen siblings. I am Black Women, culturally influenced by Jamaican & Black Southern American culture.
I attended Undergrad at Lehman College, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work in 2016. During my Undergrad, I interned at St. John Riverside Hospital’s Co-Ed Rehab where I provided clinical case management services with an interdisciplinary team for individuals struggling with both Substance Abuse and Psychiatric issues. I later attended Fordham University where I graduated with a Master of Social Work with a concentration of Organization and Community Development in 2019. During my Graduate education, I interned at NY START where I provided crisis prevention, behavioral, training, and case management services to parents and providers of the intellectual and developmental population throughout Hudson Valley. A year later, I became a proud member of a historical black Greek letter organization.
My journey into this field began when I realized I had a passion for helping families, individuals, and couples. My goal is to enhance the quality of life for women and their families in the U.S. and globally through community service, civil, and social action. I am also a certified CPR instructor who believes all parents/caregivers should know Infant CPR and choking prevention.
I am currently an individual, couples, and family therapist with Amira for Her. Our practice focuses on providing high quality therapy to Black and Brown women and girls. I have had multiple mental health positions with organizations like NYS OPWDD, Saint John’s Riverside Hospital, NY START, and CASES Inc. The above opportunities have given me experience in Mood Disorders (Anxiety, Panic, Depression, Anger Management, and bipolar disorders), Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, adjustment disorders (grief, stress management), substance use disorders, as well as the LGBTQ+ community. I enjoy utilizing Psychodynamic, Psychoanalytic, CBT, strength based, and solution focused approaches, and more as needed when working with my clients. Additionally, I have experience collaborating with parents who have children struggling with the above as well.
I care about servicing the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) community for several reasons. Two of the main reasons are that as a Black woman who grew up in the Bronx, life was extremely limited. I did not realize there was so much more than what the Bronx had to offer me. It was not until I had people in my life who showed me that there is a beautiful world out here, waiting for me that I began to work on self-improvement. I hope to educate, support, and help others evolve and progress. We are behind due to unfortunate historical events, although we are no longer physically enslaved. We are still mentally enslaved in many ways.
Unfortunately, I have dealt with racism, colorism, and ageism as a young Black woman working my way up in the workforce. My response has really been based on the circumstances. In a workplace environment, I have learned to choose my battles wisely. However, outside of my career and the workplace, I advocate for myself as needed.
Lastly, my clients view me as a therapist who understands them and knows how to support their needs regardless of how they explain things. During our sessions, I actively question, respond, and relate with you. I believe, a therapist is someone who knows and understands where their client wants to go and works to support that journey. For therapy to be effective for you, I work hard to build genuine and long-lasting trust. If you’re looking for a warm and inviting counseling atmosphere, I am eager to work with you to develop effective coping skills and a greater self-awareness to reach your full potential. Together, you and I can work to set goals that are appropriate and attainable for you, at your pace.
As a sex therapist, I also offer kink, monogamous/polyamorous, sex-work affirming, LGBTQ+ therapy and more.
