Statement of Inclusion
We recognize that at this time, our leadership consists of a white, female team who occupy memberships of various cultural groups. We acknowledge the privilege, implicit bias, and embedded white-bodied supremacy inherited in our experiences as white mental health practitioners. Our commitment to the work of decolonizing/unsettling mental health includes education ourselves by participating in workshops, classes, conversations, and study groups. We are actively opening to discomfort by critically looking at organizational structures and societal conventions, challenging the façade of performative allyship, and emphasizing an attitude of life focused on awareness and growth. We accept that decolonizing/unsettling mental health is a life-long pursuit in which there will always be more to learn and unlearn.
In our educational content we integrate a social and environmental lens where we address factors often overlooked by mainstream mental health systems such as: recognizing harmful aspects of holistic health culture, identifying culturally compassionate resources, distinguishing how pollution/climate change, poverty, racism, and other chronic stressors impact health, and much more. We strive to elevate voices and stories that have historically been silenced or misappropriated, by offering a space for reciprocal learning and connection. We remember that we are a part of an ecosystem, shared with more than human beings. Our understanding of justice, equity, sovereignty, and sacredness extends to all beings and elements in the universe.
Our team members have made commitments to continue to work towards personal decolonizing/unsettling mental health in their own bodies, minds, and professional practices. We are committed to learning about our own racism, white-bodied supremacy, and implicit bias, acknowledging and centering BIPOC voices in the mental health community to promote continued justice for our people and the planet. 5% of our profits will be offered monthly with the organization Mental Health Liberation, which shares our mission in supporting wellness for all.
In our growing and learning, we always welcome feedback and input. Please reach out through our contact page with any questions or comments.
Meet the Team
Juniper Owens, LCSW, LMT, IMHP
Co-Founder & Director
(she/her/they)
Nicole Sartini, M.Ed., LPCC, NCC, IMHP
Co-Founder & Educator
(she/her)
Laurel Sims-Stewart, M.Ed., ATR, LPCC, IMHP
Lead Content Developer
(she/her)
Rozlyn Newman
Operations Manager
(she/her)
The AIMH Collective
The AIMH Collective was created in order to amplify diverse voices, modalities, and philosophies with the help of professionals and experts across the realm of integrative mental health. Get to know our current collective of creators, experts, educators, and partners to get a glimpse into the knowledge they bring to the Academy.
Bridge Counseling and Wellness
Collective Partner
Bridge Counseling and Wellness provides holistic mental health counseling and supplemental wellness services, which include movement and yoga for those who are struggling with stress, anxiety, and depression. Their mind-body approach to mental health incorporates whole self-care, improving outcomes in therapy and increasing the overall health and well-being of their clients.
Mental Health Lou
Collective Partner
Mental Health Lou is a collaboration between mental health practitioners, non-profit groups, agencies and community members to promote mental wellness resources in Louisville, KY. Today they aim to promote mental wellness resources throughout the Louisville area, bring education and wellness workshops to the public and highlight wellness providers - all at little to no cost.
Dr. James Lake
Collective Expert
Dr. James Lake is a Board-certified psychiatrist with over 25 years of clinical experience. He founded and chaired the American Psychiatric Association's Caucus on Complementary, Alternative and Integrative Medicine from 2004 through 2010, and has chaired symposia and workshops at APA conferences and other nation and international conferences on complimentary, alternative and integrative mental health care.
Gabriel Villarreal
Collective Creator
Gabriel Villarreal is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia. He owns LostBoys Strength and Conditioning, the only gym that offers coaching to children with special mental health needs. Gabriel is an expert in the topic of exercise and mental health and a sought after public speaker for gyms, coaches, athletes, and educators in Virginia and beyond.
Dr. Broderick Sawyer
Collective Educator
Originally a college basketball player from a small Connecticut city on the edge of NYC, Dr. Broderick Sawyer is now a clinical psychologist, teacher, activist and consultant. During his years of schooling and clinical experience, he received in-depth experience with mindfulness meditation, compassion-based therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Dr. Sawyer now collaborates with non-profits, universities, grassroots organizers, therapy clinics, and other organizations to provide psychology curriculums for in-depth skill-building, custom training, and ongoing consultation and mentoring.
Nancy Gershman
Collective Educator
Nancy Gershman (LCSW) is a psychotherapist with BHAVA Therapy Group, and the developer of Dreamscaping (Prescriptive Memory-Making), an imaginal and photo-based therapy supported by the way memories get encoded in the brain. Her publications include Prescriptive Memories in Grief and Loss: The Art of Dreamscaping (Routledge, 2019) with Barbara E. Thompson, and case studies in Robert A. Neimeyer’s Techniques of Grief Therapy (Routledge, 2012, 2016). Her Dreamscaping work with end-of-life patients and their families at Visiting Nurse Service of NY was featured on NY1’s “New Yorker of the Week” (2016). Her work with the eating-disordered culminated in the traveling exhibit, “The Brides of Ed” (2013). Since 2013, Nancy has hosted Death Café New York City.