(she/her)

Out of Many One People. The motto of the land of my birth. A simple statement that on its surface represents unity- the coming together of peoples of African, Indian, Chinese, Spanish, and British ancestry. Yet, underneath is a complex history: Xaymaca, the beautiful land of wood and water, was stolen from the Taino, ravaged by European colonizers, soaked with the blood of enslaved Africans, and toiled by Chinese and Indian im/migrants. I am an immigrant, a descendant of enslaved Africans and Indian servants, and at 25 years old, I journeyed to this nation of immigrants carrying with me the pain, strength, resistance, wisdom, and triumph of my ancestors.

Out of Many One People is more than a motto to me. Rather, it represents embodied wisdom, liberation, and reclamation. It is how I show up with and for clients, supervisees, and students, attending to moral injury and co-creating healing spaces. I honor our shared humanity while centering our unique lived experiences. Woven throughout my community and school-based clinical work, collaborative scholarship, play therapy, and supervisory experiences is a justice-oriented commitment to historically excluded communities and decolonized praxis. As Co-founder of the Center for Responsive Supervision, I partner with mental health professionals and educators at various stages of their professional journey. I focus on incorporating a multicultural orientation framework in clinical practice and supervision, with an emphasis on healing justice and cultural humility in educational and clinical settings.

With nearly 20 years of experience as a Counselor Educator, Natalya’s scholarly work falls into three main areas of expertise: 1) Culturally responsive clinical practice and supervision, 2) Development and implementation of play-based mental health initiatives for school and community counseling settings, and 3) Application of career theory and career counseling across the lifespan, with an emphasis on child and adolescent career development. 

(she/her)

Out of Many One People. The motto of the land of my birth. A simple statement that on its surface represents unity- the coming together of peoples of African, Indian, Chinese, Spanish, and British ancestry. Yet, underneath is a complex history: Xaymaca, the beautiful land of wood and water, was stolen from the Taino, ravaged by European colonizers, soaked with the blood of enslaved Africans, and toiled by Chinese and Indian im/migrants. I am an immigrant, a descendant of enslaved Africans and Indian servants, and at 25 years old, I journeyed to this nation of immigrants carrying with me the pain, strength, resistance, wisdom, and triumph of my ancestors.

Out of Many One People is more than a motto to me. Rather, it represents embodied wisdom, liberation, and reclamation. It is how I show up with and for clients, supervisees, and students, attending to moral injury and co-creating healing spaces. I honor our shared humanity while centering our unique lived experiences. Woven throughout my community and school-based clinical work, collaborative scholarship, play therapy, and supervisory experiences is a justice-oriented commitment to historically excluded communities and decolonized praxis. As Co-founder of the Center for Responsive Supervision, I partner with mental health professionals and educators at various stages of their professional journey. I focus on incorporating a multicultural orientation framework in clinical practice and supervision, with an emphasis on healing justice and cultural humility in educational and clinical settings.

With nearly 20 years of experience as a Counselor Educator, Natalya’s scholarly work falls into three main areas of expertise: 1) Culturally responsive clinical practice and supervision, 2) Development and implementation of play-based mental health initiatives for school and community counseling settings, and 3) Application of career theory and career counseling across the lifespan, with an emphasis on child and adolescent career development.