Meet Our Team
Directors
Dawn
Executive Director
Dawn is a nationally recognized trauma specialist in the treatment of children with severe behaviors with over twenty five years in the counseling field. Her expertise in early childhood trauma, survival behavioral patterning in adolescents and attachment repair in foster and adopted children has made her a sought after conference speaker to both state and private agencies. She is the Founder of Attachment and Trauma Institute and The Foundation for Family Healing. Attachment and Trauma Institute provides Specialized Attachment Assessments, Out-patient Counseling, Intensive In Home Counseling, and trainings to schools, state and non-profit organizations. The Foundation for Family Healing is dedicated to providing national training, education, lectures and two day workshops to both parents and professionals nationally on the impact of trauma. These trainings have proven to improve disruption rates of children in care leading to permanency within the family unit through a given understanding of the impact of trauma, effective intervention strategies, permanency planning and reform strategies.
Khilia
Director
Khilia comes to us with her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, as well as her LPC and CSOTP. She has an extensive background in the human services and mental health field, with an emphasis on providing clinical supports to the populations served. She has worked as a therapist for youth and families in various settings to include residential treatment settings, group homes, treatment centers, detainment facilities, as well as hospital settings. Khilia has worked within the social service arena for over 21 years, providing service to “at-risk” youth and families throughout the state of Virginia. Khilia attended Virginia Commonwealth University, obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She continued her studies to pursue her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology in Arlington, Virginia. Khilia has her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and research interests include the impact of trauma in children and adolescents. Her dissertation research was published internationally with the hope of making a long term impact on the reduction of childhood trauma. She comes to the Attachment and Trauma Institute with a wealth of knowledge within the mental health arena, as she has worked in many non-profit, private, social service, and government entities. Khilia is also a Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a Licensed Professional Counselor within the District of Columbia.
Khilia enjoys giving back to the community by attempting to help and understand many of the unique challenges that face society, and affect the populations served. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Khilia is an avid equestrian and shows competitively in the hunter/jumper arena along the east coast. In 2016, Khilia’s certified therapy dog, Eyli joined the team of helping professionals. Eyli is a French Bulldog who enjoys interacting with children and adolescents, as well as her visits to area hospitals on a routine basis.
Management
Sharon
Clinical Supervisory Manager
Sharon graduated from Bowie State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She has 25 years of experience serving youth and their families in community-based settings and both private and public-school systems. She is a seasoned mental health practitioner who has successfully worked with diverse populations to help foster healing and wholeness. Her love for sports and youth led her to opportunities to manage community events and after school programs that focus on mental health, wellness, and community safety. She is the author of the book, "Farrell's Focus Room," for elementary age students who aspire to manage negative emotions and succeed in school. She also created a curriculum and toolkit for a youth violence prevention program as a consultant with United Way of the National Capital Area, for middle school and high school students, called "Way to P.E.A.C.E." Through her partnership with the United Way of the National Capital Area, she was asked to assist the Washington Redskins with planning their yearly Play 60 program for schools in Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas. Sharon loves to travel, host football parties, and spend time with her husband, four children and grandson.
Corin
Quality Assurance & Human Resources Manager
Corin graduated from Southeastern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Missional Ministries. She is a dynamic administrative professional well known for her attention to detail, leadership, and organization. She has 10 years of administrative experience with 7 years of upper level management experience in the fields of event planning and higher education. She has expertise in building highly effective and connected teams by focusing on team building and group exercises. She has built teams from the ground up growing them from small groups to large teams of over 70. She is eager to work in the field of mental health and support those who do such a vital job for the community. For fun Corin enjoys boating, fishing and going to the beach with her husband and two dogs.
Supervisors
Taylor
Assessment and Outpatient Clinician