Onika has been working in Children’s Mental Health for over 25 years, both as a Frontline Mental Health Worker and as leader to frontline staff.  These decades of experience have been spent leading staff through the developmental, emotional and psychological processes of developing identity as the people we are first,  and as mental health workers.  This is a balance of using our “self” as the therapeutic tool (which encompasses our education and experience), while not re-experiencing, all while utilizing the self-regulatory practices we hope to model and effectively “teach”.  Onika uses these clinical and managerial skills to facilitating staff supervisions (individual and group formats) to support staff members as well as, teams, with transformation towards a self and effective use of themselves in their front line practice. 

A proven leader in the mentoring & training of frontline staff teams  through clinical change and crises that impact a staff group’s ability to deliver client-centered service. Onika has led teams to implement trauma-informed approaches to the relational work of Mental Health Practitioners. This often leads to supporting the professional development of frontline staff through increasing the self-awareness and self-regulatory skills that are essential in developing a therapeutic alliance with our clients, and recognizing how stressors impact one’s ability to be present for our clients. 

Onika utilizes her skills as experienced group facilitator to analyze strengths and areas of growth that would benefit staff teams through conflict with empathy, understanding, and an honest & direct approach.  Her ability to integrate these principles has led to positive outcomes for team dynamics & cohesion and a strong clinical approach. 

Experienced in Frontline Mental Health worker individual and group supervisions, group trainings, incidental or theme-related crises, systems work.

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Trained in CBT, DBT, Principles of Trauma-informed practice.