Favorite Quote: " How you gonna win when you ain't right within?" Lauryn Hill
Latoya "Nicole" Edwards, LCSW
Clinical Director & Lead Therapist
Are you the strong friend, but sometimes feel that you have no one to lean on? Having relationships issues, hate your job, or need help navigating this thing called Adult-ing? I enjoy working with individuals who appear to be whole, yet feel lost and unseen; I address the impact that both trauma and healing have on the WHOLE person. Providing out the box therapy, with a holistic twist, I infuse humor, reiki, yoga essential oils, and realness. I have dedicated my life to helping Millennials, Gen Zs (ages 16- 45), and their families break generational curses.
I practice a mind, body, and soul approach. Meaning, I address the person and their environment, helping young adults get their whole life! I am not a nod and smile therapist. I roll up my sleeves with you, and together we come up with solutions to tackle this thing called life. There are going be times that you are not gonna like me, but a part of therapy is unpacking and revealing some things that we oftentimes try to mask and hide. My goal is to work along side you and help you become a better person than when you started with me.
Favorite Quote: "Define who you are and what you are, and be clear on that. Meditate on that and then, live..." Nipsey Hussle
Sheryl Dunn, LCSW
Therapist
Being a native of Suffolk, Virginia, I felt it was imperative to initiate my career and community service in the Hampton Roads area. I have worked in the capacity of a case manager for a local Community Services Board servicing individuals with dual diagnoses: substance use as well as serious mental health disorders. Thereafter and intermittently I have had the honor to work as a medical social worker for hospice agencies. I have also worked as a care manager for a high level hospital system prior to transitioning to become a care coordinator for a managed care organization.
Therapy has always been a passion of mine. It is a privilege to have others entrust their thoughts with me. Once I had the opportunity to see the powerful impact therapy can have on folks I have felt compelled to return to private practice.
I attended the prestigious Norfolk State University for undergraduate and graduate studies in Social Work. I look forward to further advances in my studies not only for myself but the well-being of populations I have the pleasure to work with.
Favorite Quote: "Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong." - Mandy Hale
Toi Graham, M.A., Resident in MFT
Therapist
I am a graduate of both Saint Leo University and Regent University. I hold a B.A. in Psychology and a M.A. in Marriage & Family Therapy. I am a Resident in Marriage & Family Therapy. I utilize a solution-focused perspective coupled with a calm spirit that helps clients feel centered. I enjoy helping clients discover their strengths while highlighting how their thoughts and feelings contribute to their daily living and functioning. I am passionate about marriage, at-risk youth, and military communities. I enjoy working with individuals, couples, adolescents and adults. I believe relational intelligence is the key that unlocks our greatest potential. Therapy can be a huge step, therefore I find it important to build a relationship with you as my client by getting to know you and your experiences while enabling and empowering you to identify the change you would like to make.
When I am is not helping clients, I serve as an Active Duty Sailor and full-time mom. I enjoys reading and exercising with my family. I am grounded in Christianity and I am no stranger to prayer.
Toi also provides pre-martial and life coaching services.
Favorite Quote: "If you scared to take chances, you will never have the answers." - Nas
Michael Tinsley, LMSW
Therapist
I am a Graduate of Howard University and UNC Charlotte, I have a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Social Work. I have a passion for working with individuals, couples and families who seek change to become happier, healthier and gain control over obstacles that are weighing them down. I have several years of experience in working with children, adults, and families, on a broad array of issues ranging from depression, anxiety, bipolar, ADHD, schizophrenia, substance abuse and trauma. I provide culturally competent care and use a Strength Based Approach when working with clients. I also specialize in helping African American males deal with oppressive systems and obstacles.
Favorite Quote: "It's easy to hear the voices of others and often very difficult to hear your own. Every person you meet is going to want something different from you. The question is: What do you want for yourself?" - Beyoncé Knowles
Ashley Wright, MSW, Supervisee in Social Work
Therapist
Ashley is a graduate of Norfolk State University, holding both a Bachelor's and Master's of Social Work. As a native of the city of Portsmouth, Ashley has always possessed the desire to help others. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults providing therapeutic individual, group, and/or family psychotherapy with varying mental health diagnosis.
Ashley is a licensed eligible Clinical Therapist with the experience of working within community-based services, school-based services, residential treatment, jails, acute-inpatient treatment, and managed care organizations. She is committed to assisting clients to learn how to heal/cope with a wide range of issues such as : anxiety, depression, trauma/ PTSD, anger management, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), social skills, grief and loss, substance abuse, and relationship issues.
Overall, Ashley enjoys empowering others and engaging people in the process of positive change. Through her strength-based approach, she strives to assist children, adults, and families maintain their stability and is committed to providing effective, evidenced based treatments services to various populations by promoting healing and growth.
Favorite Quote: "Nothing will work, unless you do." - Maya Angelou
Courtneí Brockington , MSW, Supervisee in Social Work
Therapist
I consider myself to be a compassionate and hard-working individual who has a heart for helping people. My work experience includes working with children and teens in both in- home, inpatient, and residential settings.
Born in New York, but raised in Virginia, my passion involves working with individuals, couples, and families who struggle with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, ADHD/ADD, adjustment issues, work-life balance, grief, relationship issues, and trauma. I also love conducting group therapy sessions because there truly is healing in community.
Coming to therapy for the first time can be intimidating and/or scary. When approaching therapy, My goal is to work collaboratively with you so you do not feel like you are walking alone during this journey. My second goal is that during our time together you feel empowered, challenged, and motivated. I use a strength based approach, where I infuse CBT, DBT, and solution focused therapy to help you overcome barriers.
I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Minor in African Studies from Howard University and a Master Degree in Clinical Social Work from Norfolk State University.
Favorite Quote - "A beautiful woman is a beautiful woman but a beautiful woman with a brain is a lethal combination." - Armirah
Armirah Stephens, M.A. , Resident in MFT
Therapist
Inez Beverly Prosser, Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark, and Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum. Names that sparked my interest in becoming a clinician. During my time at Spelman College, I studied the work of these women and how they made their mark in mental health for people of color and knew that I wanted to leave my own mark on mental health through my work as a clinician. I am a graduate of both Spelman College and Syracuse University. I hold a B.A. in Psychology and a M.A. in Marriage & Family Therapy. I am a Resident in Marriage & Family Therapy. My targeted theories use when I provide care is narrative therapy and strategic therapy. I utilize these two forms of therapy the most because I believe that everyone has their own story to tell and mapping out that story through counseling can be helpful to individuals who need assistance on navigating to the next chapter in their life. The thing that I enjoy most from working with clients is assisting them to tap into the resilience that lies within them. While also observing their progress and tap into the strength that it takes for them to continue their personal narrative. I am most passionate about couples, military communities, and families. During my free time, I enjoy making candles and spending time with my family and friends.
Tedra Ballard, BS
MSW Clinical Student Intern
I’m currently a clinical graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University in their Master of Social Work program. I also attended Old Dominion University for undergraduate majoring in psychology and Human Services. I am all about the empowerment approach, which calls on clients to recognize potential strengths and focus on how to use those strengths to reach their mental health goals.
I am passionate about youth and young adults and believe disciplinary systems identify trauma related stress symptoms as bad behavior that warrant punishment. This collective perception is a disservice to our youth. Through individualized treatment, it is possible to place troubled youth on the path to becoming confident, emotionally stable adults and disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.
My focuses are trauma-informed mental health care directed towards our youth, targeted research to uphold necessary social policy change, and public advocacy to catalyze collective action against systems that sustain traumatic environments.