By Media Fellow Melanie Ho
Tanasha Driver, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), serves as LEDA’s Mental Health and Wellness Specialist during Summer Institute. She has held the position since 2021.
The creation of the Mental Health and Wellness Specialist position, Driver said, was part of LEDA’s vision for increasing mental health and wellness support and education during the five-week Summer Institute.
Driver’s duties include providing individual support and hosting workshops. She also works closely with LEDA staff to develop new resources and offerings each year. Driver brings to this work a focus on lasting change.
“My hope is that I can plant a seed that will help the scholars understand who they are, what they’re really capable of and have confidence that should they hit a barrier or wall later in life, that they’ll feel comfortable reaching out for help about it.”
Several external and internal barriers to accessing care and treatment exist, including lack of access to health coverage, discrimination in treatment settings, and cultural stigmas surrounding mental health. Driver sees this stigma as a particularly pressing challenge for minority and low-income youth.
“There is a great deal of stigma around reaching out for mental health support, especially when it comes to BIPOC youth,” she said. “LEDA provides an opportunity and space for scholars to work through cultural understandings surrounding help that many might possess or not even realize they possess.”
Scholars can access individual support reaching out themselves or by referrals by their instructors or Resident Mentors (RMs).
As a clinician, Driver helps clients build emotional intelligence and self-awareness and has worked with individuals, couples, and families. Furthermore, she possesses expertise in crisis intervention and addressing suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, and trauma.
Driver has over 10 years of experience within the social service field. Driver has a master’s of social work from New York University and is currently pursuing her doctorate of social work degree from Simmons University in Boston. She currently is the CEO & Founder of her private practice, All Grace Therapeutic Solutions LLC which is based out of NJ, and is a Faculty Associate at Seton Hall University in their Department of Social Work and Public Administration.