Kirsten Dawkins
- LSW
- Post Master's Social Work Fellow
Inspired by her own experiences with mental health and illness, Kirsten decided to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Master's in Social Work. She has since then had the joy of providing therapy to adolescents, young adults and adults over the past three years. At the start of her career, she worked with clients in Maryland across a variety of settings including schools, outpatient mental health clinics, in-home, community-based and virtual. Here, she got to know and work with a diverse population of recipients, primarily African American teens using The Black Perspective: a philosophy that emphasizes affirmation, strengths, diversity, inclusion, social justice and internationalization.
She has used different types of therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Trauma Informed Spiritual Intervention (TISI) and likes to incorporate art, movement, creativity (and fun!) into her sessions. Her support has extended to individuals working through a range of concerns such as anxiety, depression, anger management, self-esteem issues, stress management, relationship issues, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, sexuality, ethnic identity and ADHD. She has also worked with individuals in their exploration of spiritual confusion, religious trauma and belief systems when she began deepening her focus on the intersection of mental health, faith, and culture in 2023. Through empathy and compassion, she hopes that you would leave a session feeling understood, accepted, empowered and overall lighter than when you came in.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Education
- MSW: Howard University
- BA: Psychology, University of Connecticut