I recognized my skills of emotional attunement and crisis intervention from an early age. Admittedly, these were skills that emerged as survival strategies in a volatile home environment, but today, I honor them as gifts that I use in service of my clients and communities. When my father asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I replied, “a psychologist.”

 

In undergraduate college, as I watched a presentation about consent during freshmen orientation, I identified myself as a victim of sexual abuse for the first time. I became a volunteer for the local rape crisis center in Asheville, NC to better understand and process my own experience as well as to provide support to other victims. I found a deep sense of purpose and fulfilment in working with victims of sexual and domestic violence. Pursuing my Master of Social Work (MSW) was a natural next step in continuing my dedication to advocacy and support.

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I returned home to Washington, DC to begin the MSW program at Howard University (HU). During my two years at HU, I continued my advocacy work at the DC Rape Crisis Center and DC SAFE. I also had the opportunity to intern as a psychotherapist at a community mental health center. It was here that I began to sense the limitations of talk therapy and the “top down” or cognitive based therapy approaches that were exclusively taught in my clinical program at the time. However, I didn’t yet have the language nor the understanding of trauma to pinpoint what was missing.

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It wasn’t until years later that I found the answer. While working as a Behavioral Health Specialist, I was invited to take an EMDR training. In the training, I found the missing part in the equation of healing—THE BODY! The training transformed my work as a therapist. I chose to specialize in EMDR and quickly became sought after at my organization for EMDR based trauma therapy. After receiving my EMDR Certification, I began my training in Somatic Experiencing to deepen my understanding of the neurobiology of trauma and how to process trauma by working with the body. 

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It is said that we teach what we need to learn.

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I am deeply grateful to have chosen this path as a therapist. It has given me the knowledge and skills to become my own loving witness—to compassionately and courageously confront my past to break free from trauma/survival-based patterns and become the conductor of my own life journey, walking fiercely in my power and purpose. It is my intention and my life’s work to help you do the same.