Hi, I’m Vanessa. I’m a licensed clinician and the Clinic Director of Sankofa. In addition to providing counseling services, I am responsible for program development, coaching and training supervisors, overseeing client care, and ensuring what we build & offer to the community remains aligned with our original heart, values, and mission.

In the therapy room, I aim to be real, grounded, and intentional. I am trained in Attachment Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) and various Somatic interventions for trauma recovery (nervous system regulation, co-regulating touch, somatic resilience + regulation). I integrate education into the counseling process, exploring how stress, trauma, family systems, and societal experiences impact overall health, wellness, and your healing and integration process. Together, we identify how the world interacts with you, especially at the intersections of identity, while building coping tools, a sense of connection to self and others, and space to be, without expectation. I believe healing is both personal and collective, and I work to center your culture, strengths, and lived experience in our work together.

In my role as Clinic Director, I approach mental health through a structural lens. I am deeply committed to being purposeful and accountable in my power and positionality. I have developed internal “Grow Your Own” leadership pipelines to reduce workforce shortages and increase sustainability for clinicians of color. In our first 5 years as a group practice, we’ve maintained a 90% staff retention rate in an industry marked by burnout and turnover. Multiple Therapist Associates have completed licensure under our supervision, and 5 licensed providers have become Clinical Supervisors through a paid, culturally specific leadership program we've built - many of whom now mentor the next generation of emerging clinicians.

Beyond traditional therapy models, we are actively building Sanctuary Spaces and community healing gatherings rooted in ritual, rest, and collective restoration. These offerings are designed to address chronic stress, trauma, and disconnection that disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities. My goal is not simply to expand services, but to strengthen the ecosystem of care - increasing the number of culturally responsive providers across Oregon and ensuring this work continues beyond any one individual.

Whether I’m sitting with a client, mentoring a supervisor, negotiating partnerships, or building new programs, I strive to lead with integrity, purpose, precision and humility. I look forward to journeying alongside you.