My Story

Resilience and overcoming barriers are the markers of my life. My parents came to America as refugees. I worked to move from public housing projects in intercity Boston to a community college,  before completing a doctorate at an Ivy League university. My journey to creating a good life has been a struggle. 

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I could have moved further and faster had mentors come into my life sooner. As individuals and a society, we must move toward greater emotional intelligence and resilience to develop a community we can love and cherish.

 

Our sessions will motivate you to move forward in life confidently.

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My Training

I have a bachelor's in psychology, a master's in clinical social work, a second master's in the philosophy of social work, and a doctorate in clinical social work from Columbia University. I've taught classes at the University of Washington and Columbia University. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have funded my research. As a University of Washington Bonderman Fellow, I studied the impact of religion on mental health while spending a year living in the places of birth of the six major world religions.  As a Fulbright Grantee, I studied peer norms and HIV risk behavior in Malaysia.  My work has been published in leading professional journals, including The Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Schizophrenia Research, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, and The Lancet Global Health.