I Was Recently Elected to the Board of Directors of the Red Songbird Foundation

I am honored to share that I have recently been elected to the Board of Directors of the Red Songbird Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help people heal from the darkness of their past.

The Red Songbird Foundation was founded by Billboard-charting artist Hilary Roberts, who has been in recovery since 1997 and whose own journey through trauma and substance use disorder became the foundation for building something that could help others find the same kind of freedom she found. Since its public launch in 2019, the foundation has helped thousands of people by providing education, outreach, resources, therapy, and treatment scholarships for those navigating trauma, mental health challenges, PTSD, and substance use disorder.

I said yes to this appointment because the foundation's mission sits at the center of everything I believe about mental health work. Healing is not a luxury. Access to quality care should not depend on income, insurance status, or geography. And the stigma around seeking help for trauma, addiction, and mental health needs to be actively dismantled, not politely worked around. The Red Songbird Foundation is doing that work in a real and sustained way, and I want to contribute to it at the leadership level.

What I Bring to This Role

My clinical background is in trauma, grief, addiction, and the complex emotional lives of people who appear to be functioning well from the outside. I am a licensed psychotherapist, board-certified clinician, and clinical supervisor with advanced expertise in trauma-informed care, PTSD, and substance use disorders. I have spent my career working with high-achieving professionals, Black women, faith leaders, and caregivers who are navigating the emotional weight of lives that look fine to everyone around them.

That population, people who carry significant clinical need beneath the surface of high functioning, is exactly the population that organizations like the Red Songbird Foundation exist to reach. The stigma around seeking help is highest for the people who appear to need it least. Erasing that stigma and expanding access to care is the through line between my clinical practice and this board appointment.

What This Means Going Forward

Joining this board is part of a broader commitment to bringing clinical expertise into the spaces where mental health policy, advocacy, and community support are being shaped. My work does not begin and end in the therapy room. It extends into the conversations, organizations, and movements that determine whether the people who need help are actually able to find it.

I am grateful to Hilary Roberts and the Red Songbird Foundation for the trust this appointment represents. I look forward to the work ahead.

To learn more about the Red Songbird Foundation and their mission, visit redsongbird.org.

If you are navigating trauma, grief, or the weight of something you have been carrying for too long, I work with individuals ready to do the real work of healing. Visit my trauma recovery and emotional healing page or schedule a consultation.