Hi, I’m Questella!

Pronounced: kwes-tell-uh | Pronouns: she/her

Black woman Questella in therapy practice smiling

Areas of Specialization: PTSD, CPTSD, anxiety, depression, intimacy, attachment, betrayal trauma, life transitions, psychological evaluations for immigration cases

Centering: Black & Brown womxn/femmes, interracial couples/relationships, first-generation & immigrants, entrepreneurs, communities of color, queer communities

Licensed Clinical Social Worker | Trained EMDR & Couples Therapist | Immigration Evaluation Specialist

If you’re looking for a therapist that quietly smiles, nods, and dodges answering questions during your session, then you’ve come to the wrong place ‘cause that’s definitely not me!

I’m real. I’m warm, creative, professional and approachable. I'm direct. I’m curious. I care. I often use (sometimes cheesy) humor and the occasional cuss word (or few) into our work. Just as you contain multitudes, I’m a dynamic professional who shows up fully in our work — personality and all.

I’m a firm believer that therapy shouldn’t be stuffy - how can I expect you to live your truth, to be yourself, if I‘m not doing the same?! 

Professional

I’m passionate about empowering underserved and underrepresented adults and couples on their healing journey - whether in therapy or through the immigration process. I have over 14 years of experience as a helping professional in a variety of settings including private practice, corporate mental health, community mental health, neuropsychological research, behavioral health, crisis counseling, chemical dependency, program development and as a lecturer in academia. I meld these experiences with various modalities and advanced clinical training in trauma, attachment, couples therapy, and Afrocentric theories and perspectives in order to curate a transformative healing process in my practice. I am a trauma informed, trained Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist that is Somatic experiencing, Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed, with training as a Relational Life Therapy (RLT) therapist, and in the Gottman Method. Other tools in my therapeutic toolbox include Flash Technique, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Prolonged Exposure, and Narrative Therapies.

I am honored to cultivate an attuned, evidence-based, affirming and culturally humble space where my extensive experience and integrative approach meet and supports you on your unique journey towards healing, authenticity, and liberation. 

Personal

My lived experience as a first-generation, Afro-Caribbean, queer, femme raised in Texas exposed me to systemic barriers that oppressed and systematically blocked opportunities where I, my family, culture, and communities would - with access to resources and care - otherwise thrive. Mental health care, joy, connection, healing were often inaccessible due to a lack of resources, stigma, cycles of abuse and trauma. I experienced and witnessed the ways in which race + class + gender + immigration status + sexuality + religion + ability were used to silence, oppress, stigmatize, and cause or perpetuate harm and trauma. I learned that the system is not meant to support us, it’s meant to use us until we’re no longer viable. Enter: lots of learning, radical acceptance, unlearning, reparenting, and grace - it’s a marathon, not a sprint, right? Navigating two worlds/between worlds required me to intimately assess the intersectionality of it all: the ways in which my root system was damaged in the absence of support, resources, and healing. Existing between worlds drives me to deeply understand the ways oppression and unresolved wounds shape me + behaviors + survival + relationships + culture + community + generations and ultimately the capacity to heal and thrive in the world. It’s through my journey that I’ve developed a consciousness and commitment to being a part of the movement of healing. I wasn’t sure back then how that would manifest professionally and now, here we are…

My unwavering passion, personal commitment and practice’s purpose remain in total alignment: To cultivate an attuned space where folx who have been forced into the margins of society are supported on their unique paths to authentic living, healing, and liberation. I believe that true liberation is rooted in healing - which is much deserved and absolutely possible - and I am honored to be on this journey with you!