Meet Dr. Ayanna Abrams of Ascension Behavioral Health in Decatur

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Ayanna Abrams.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a healer and a truth teller. And as a daughter of immigrants, I’ve been immersed in various cultures throughout my life, and dealt with the nuances of managing several identities at once, so it was no surprise to me that I became fascinated by psychology–how your emotions, thoughts, and biology lead to certain thoughts, feelings, behaviors & experiences. Though I started out wanting to be a teacher in underserved communities of color, that gradually shifted to a wider focus on families and relationships, and it has stayed there ever since.

Luckily (and I say luckily because I recognize that this is a pretty rare path, especially these days with more options within education) I knew I wanted to be some type of therapist midway through my senior year of HS, so I have essentially been working on my career since I was a teenager. Growing up in a Caribbean household, college was really the only option given to me, and it fit my career goals, so I knew exactly what I would major in and what my plans were post-grad.

College and graduate school were game changers for me and solidified that this was the right career for me. To provide the change that I wanted to see and be a part of in the black community, and to have the flexibility that I wanted, it became clear that I had to get the highest level of training. I was underwhelmed and saw trauma of experiences with mental health experts who are culturally insensitive and flat-out racist, which leads to greater health disparities. I want to be a part of that change and create better health outcomes for black people.

My education and clinical focus were working with diverse populations and helping people understand and navigate their relationships better. After completing my doctorate and postdoctoral fellowship, I immediately (like… next day) opened Ascension Behavioral Health, LLC as a space for revealing, healing, creation, and change. I primarily work with black women, men, and late adolescents, with a firm focus on couples therapy. My practice has been a labor of love and my biggest accomplishment, but still a work in progress.

I’m still fairly new to the field as a licensed psychologist, and new to running my own business, even though I just had my six year anniversary! So today, my focus is touching as many souls as I can through therapy, education, access, and service. What people are able to understand and heal in therapy not only changes their life, it changes the impact they can have on every life around them. That’s community.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been smoother than it could have been, with difficult but necessary bumps along the path to entrepreneurship and honing my skills as a psychologist. But there really isn’t anything smooth about ten years of formal education post-high school. Nothing. And nothing smooth about going to school for literally 22 years STRAIGHT!

There are several developmental milestones that you really can’t avoid in being a responsible, ethical and good doctor and businesswoman. I’m bruised up enough and hope I’ve hit most of them, haha, but I’m sure there are still some to come as I move through more phases of my career.

Some of the biggest struggles getting to where I am now has been how intense and emotionally gripping the training process is, as well as the toll it takes on your relationships.

Though I was warned, there is, but so much you can prepare for when going to graduate school, and learning how to hold the pain of others. I can’t say that it has gotten “easier,” because nothing is easy about trauma, despair, sadness, but I can say that I’ve learned to be much better at taking care of myself and my clients as I commit more to this service.

I’ve gathered so many friends and so much support along the way, but have had to be very clear about who I can be around and what energy is being depleted. As a therapist, I recognize that I don’t have as much room as others to navigate personal distress. The way that mismanagement of my personal care & relationships can impact my work has severe consequences, and I have to stay mindful of that.

You lose people along the way through, not necessarily because someone is at fault, but because everyone just cannot come. Becoming a doctor can often feel like a solo process, and many parts of it can happen in isolation, even if you are as social as I am.

I wasn’t prepared for that, and I was not prepared for the responsibility of holding someone’s narrative in such a sensitive way. But those are some of the things that you can only learn by going through the fire and really challenging yourself and your own history.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ascension Behavioral Health – what should we know?
I’m a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Georgia, meaning that I have a doctoral in clinical psychology and the ability to assess, diagnose and treat people with mental health issues, ranging from mild to severe illnesses.

It also means that I am clinically/medically responsible for anyone who is in my care and that it is my duty to “do no harm,” to them. My focus is on work with People of Color, primarily black women, men, late adolescents, and couples. I own my business, which includes therapy and consultation with organizations, clubs, school, churches, etc. to provide mental health education, feedback, and programming.

I am known for my focus on black mental health and using Emotion-Focused Therapy with couples. I’m most proud that I am operating a solo mental health business with no formal training in business! Though this has factored into tons of distress over the years, I am sometimes in awe of myself that I’m still kicking it in here and loving the work that I am doing.

What sets me apart from some therapists also makes me similar to others. I absolutely LOVE what I do, and anyone who knows me knows it! I am obsessed with all things mental health and all things black mental health, and I’m pretty sure that my enthusiasm and commitment to healing and teaching others how to heal, is not as common in some therapist communities.

I spend a lot of my time connecting with my community on social media, on foot, at events, spreading whatever knowledge that I can and linking people to the help that they truly need. I don’t like being confined to my therapy office, and I don’t believe that our community can only be treated by therapy, which is why I do what I can to help people access accurate and expert information on how to save themselves.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
So many people have made this journey possible for me. This includes family, hometown friends, grad school friends who are still by my side, and colleagues (not only in the mental health field) in Chicago and Atlanta.

Whether they helped me in some way emotionally, financially, distracted me, encouraged me, or called me out when I wasn’t on my game, I needed (and need) it ALL. I’ll even thank the people in my life who have made things more difficult, because I learned a ton of things that I needed to know then, in order to be where I am now.

My clients also deserve credit. They are some of the hardest working people I know and the way that they are committed to their own health both fascinates and inspires me every single day. I love meeting with them and even miss them when we don’t have an appointment. The relationships built in therapy are some of the most intimate ones I’ve had in my life and have a huge impact on my success.

Pricing:

• Intake/Assessment $180
• Follow-Up Sessions $150

Contact Info:

• Address: 1549 Clairmont Rd. Suite 108
  Decatur, GA 30033
• Website: www.DrAbramsABH.com
• Phone: 7327336413
• Email: info@DrAbramsABH.com
• Instagram: @dr_ayanna_a
• Facebook: Ascension Behavioral Health

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.