Sandra D. Allen

License Eligible, MSW, QMHP A/C

My mission is to build, promote and provide youth with intervention before prevention, so we can build more recreational activities instead of Detention and Jails to house our youth. Being a supportive role to the platform of information and informing that youth mental health is real and it is not just behavioral. To show and teach youth how to help them help themselves and provide a safe, warm, trustworthy, and welcoming and empowering space that promotes learning and developing and a caring place to heal.

I earned my Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2007 and my Master in Social Work in 2021 from Norfolk State University. I have been in the field for 23 plus years working with youth and families that have autism or LGBTQ+ family members in a variety of settings such as group homes, residential homes, and therapeutic foster care. I have been blessed to have and provide a vision, leadership, and administrative direction at Gateways, a residential treatment program for commercially sexually exploited females, aged 12-18, residential Milieu of the Girls units, Intake, and the youth cottages of 5-9 years of age, Community Care (Crisis Unit) and a diversion from the hospital. I developed and built a team to support and create a trauma informed care environment, for the youth to develop effective coping strategies, and self-awareness and feel safe.

As a clinician, I specialize in providing outpatient therapy to children and adolescents ranging from ages 6 years old to young adulthood, who have experienced symptoms of anger management, depression, anxiety, PTSD, autism, grief and loss, and childhood trauma. I strive to promote a trauma informed care space for healing. I have been trained as a trainer in Positive Peer Culture for 10 plus years using strategies to create a more positive climate in schools, juvenile justice, residential treatment, group homes, and community settings and a trainer of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) for 15 years striving to create a trauma- sensitive environment where children are safe and feel safe by helping them to process the crisis event through developing and learning coping skills and strategies.

I have developed and continue to nurture a cohesive empathetic environment and understand the importance of validating how another person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors make sense from their point of view. I also know that change can be hard and is doable and necessary for healing and happiness. I am a collaborator who is interested in listening to your story, teaching you skills to effectively approach your problems and offering you some accountability so that you generalize the skills to your everyday life and learn how to navigate the issues by making decisions using and making the intervention used person centered and strength-based approach.