About me

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate and am expected to complete my dissertation and graduate in May of 2024 from the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Broadly, My scholarly work promotes the mental health and social well-being of LGBTQ+ People of Color by seeking ways to improve mental health services, systems, and policies. My dissertation is a mixed-methods online intervention study that centers around understanding self-permission and using #RadicalPermission to empower LGBTQ+ individuals of color. 

My research is informed by more than eight years of experience as a clinical social worker within multiple sectors, including community mental health/substance abuse, veterans’ health, and private practice. I teach practice and research courses and regularly provide professional development lectures on mental health equity for LGBTQ+ People of Color and the foundational skills of cultural humility. In 2020, I became a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Policy Research Scholar, a competitive, prestigious nationwide fellowship to support and develop the next generation of scholars committed to health equity. I am in private practice in Greensboro, NC, providing mental health treatment to primarily people of color and LGBTQIA+ identified adults.

In terms of service to the profession, I currently serve on the executive council of the American Academy of Psychotherapists. Previously, I have served as communications chair of the board of directors and vice president of the North Carolina Society for Clinical Social Work. I maintain professional membership with the Society for Social Work and Research, the North Carolina Society for Clinical Social Work, the Council on Social Work Education, and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).