I completed my doctoral internship in clinical psychology at New York City’s infamous Bellevue Hospital and received my doctoral degree (PsyD) in clinical psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus.

I’ve provided care in numerous inpatient and outpatient settings for adolescents and adults, including Long Island University’s Psychological Services Center, Bellevue Hospital, NYU Child Study Center, LIJ Schneider’s Children Hospital, and Long Island Center for Cognitive Therapy.

I knew I wanted to become a clinical psychologist at the age of 12. At the time, I had recently moved to the United States from Nigeria and the school psychologist at my high school invited me to meet with her in order to ensure that I was adjusting well to her new environment. Led by natural curiosity, I inquired about why the psychologist valued spending so much time chatting with me instead of working. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that talking to people to improve well-being was, in fact, a profession. My mouth hit the floor when the school psychologist explained how talk therapy works and that it could be useful in supporting people during times of transitions, or helping them make change so they could fulfill their potential. I went home from school that day declaring that I no longer planned to become a pediatrician but, instead, a psychologist!

(Side note: You might be tickled to know that when I encountered difficult situations or intense emotions, one of the strategies I used to cope was engaging in self-talk with my future self, whom I then named “Dr. B.” I still have my journal entries from childhood that reveal this.)

My post graduate career began at NYU’s Child Study Center’s Institute for Prevention Science, where I was recruited to join Dr. Laurie Brotman’s team evaluating the efficacy of ParentCorps, the now evidence-based, universal prevention program for young children. As a senior clinician, I worked with school administrators, teachers and parents to increase their use of effective behavior management skills, promote young children’s socio-emotional development and increase family involvement. I left my mark as a lead designer and trainer of the professional development workshop series for early childhood educators and mental health professionals focused on a variety of topics, including the use of motivational interviewing with teachers and parents, and effective family engagement practices for school staff. By experimenting with experiential learning as a way of engaging adults, I discovered the power of this approach in making behavior change, and ultimately transformed the ParentCorps training series into a fun and evocative training program that inspires real change in its adult participants.

During this time, and while maintaining a small private practice, I encountered research that showed that it takes married couples seven years from when they know they need professional support to actually walk through the doors of a therapist. I knew this research to be true given the number of couples that had walked through the doors of my private practice as a last resort, often meaning that the relationship first required emotional CPR before being able to strengthen anything. I understood this delay to be the result of different factors such as cost/accessibility, the stigma that surrounds therapy including feelings of shame about needing support or seeking help, fears about being judged or blamed, and misunderstanding of the therapy process. Having experienced distress in my own relationships, I could not fathom that partners stayed in such states for seven years, especially given the availability of effective interventions, such as Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples. I was pained by this finding and decided to do something about it– I would build a different type of psychology practice; one that would unbalance the status quo of the way psychology is practiced and ultimately change the way people view therapy, particularly couple’s therapy.

I decided to begin by creating a place where the needs of people of color and the LGBTQ community are not an afterthought but rather at the forefront. I wanted to design a place where all people, from all walks of life could feel safe, comfortable, accepted and valued; I wanted to provide a space that felt like your close friend’s home – offering all the typical comforts, including the option to remove your shoes.

With a clear formula in hand, and couples and relationships in mind, I left my role at ParentCorps to build that place, your place, Relationship HQ. I continue to maintain my faculty status as adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University’s Department of Population Health. I am also a contributing writer for Elixher, an online magazine for queer women.

Since I decided to become a psychologist, I have never looked back. I describe the privilege of being a psychologist as having the opportunity, daily, to be with clients as they arrive at the birthplace of change. I love my work so much that I can’t imagine anything more rewarding.

I am passionate about helping my clients feel accepted, important and loved in their relationships. I am committed to helping you feel equipped with the skills you need in order to reach the people you care about and enjoy a more productive and fulfilling life.

If pressed and being a psychologist were not an option for me, I would have been a drummer and a DJ. Be glad I chose psychology as I do not have a single musical bone in my body—in fact, I might be the only person who’s ever been kicked out of private voice lessons.