Hi, I’m Sasha, a leader and advisor in mental health and psychosocial support. I advance strategy, catalyze resources, and maximize impact in the fields of mental health and human rights for conflict affected persons globally.
Trained as an anti-oppressive social worker, my expertise is in clinical research, technical excellence, and program development. My work, spanning over two decades, serves a diverse and global audience yet holds true to the following: heartfelt and supportive, inventive and inclusive, employing methods and tools that are co-creative to localize agency, regain sovereignty, and heal.
If you’re seeking to design the highest quality program possible, establish strong partnerships, evaluate impact, and have research allies in place to build sustainable evidence based programming – Let’s talk.
I’m equipped to assist any individual or organization to refine technical excellence, scale programs and deliver impact.
Together, we center community desires to achieve lasting social transformation.
Together we will work to find solutions to some of today's most pressing social issues.
Philosophy
Promote responsive strategies that sustain and nurture the health and well-being of individuals and communities affected by conflict, poverty, inequality, health disparities and complex trauma.
Innovate whole person interventions, psycho-social care and trauma informed strategies that transform the lives of survivors, health workers and organizations.
Build capacity among individuals, communities, & organizations to harness culturally grounded strategies, programs and policies to assist in recovery, health and equity.
Document and share outcomes through teachings, research, evaluation and writing.
Projects
Synergy is the creation of whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. The term synergy comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία synergia from synergos, συνεργός, meaning “working together.” Co-creative collaboration is at the heart of all projects past and present.
Peer Recovery Support for Refugees
With a team of experts and peers at Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Sasha assisted in adapting a 40-hour State Certified Peer Support Recovery Curriculum. The project centered the experience of refugees and those with lived experiences of substance use disorder (SUD) recovery and healing journeys. The program fills behavioral workforce gaps in affected communities where SUD is a great risk, significantly under reported, and under resourced.
Staff Care & Wellbeing, 2021
Alongside a team of mental health clinicians, Sasha helped coordinate a rapid response MHPSS project for a women’s organization who provides social and women’s empowerment services throughout Afghanistan. With the MHPSS response team, psychological first aid was tailored for Afghan staff and beneficiaries. To ensure language access, the team developed MHPSS focused Dari voice memos to support healing and connection among Afghans in the height of crisis. The team also offered remote humanitarian wellbeing sessions for all global operations. A self-paced Staff Care Workbook was developed and then operationalized across the organization. Lastly, Key Recommendations for organizational change were detailed and shared with Executive leadership.
MHPSS Certificate Program
Sasha served on a National Advisory Group for Refugee Mental Health with a team of subject matter experts with Switchboard, at the International Rescue Committee. She co-designed and delivered the premier “Certificate Course: Supporting Refugee Clients’ Adjustment and Wellbeing: A Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Primer”; a 12 hour training program relevant to resettlement contexts.
Testimonials
“Sasha is a brilliant mind, a compassionate individual, and warrior for social justice and social change. What I believe sets her apart is her ability to not only work effectively within the complicated systems that are present, but to envision a better world and a better way. She never settles for the status quo and is a leader in using evidence based practice principals, research, and evaluation to continually improve not only her workplace but the community at large. ”
“Sasha is one of the most knowledgeable cross-cultural clinicians I have had the pleasure to work with. She is an excellent evaluator and researcher, with exemplary field research skills. In addition, Sasha is deeply committed to equity and community-led program planning. She has an innovative and inclusive approach to creating wellness programs for refugees and other vulnerable communities. Lastly, she is a pleasure to work with - a true team player with a supportive colleague.”
“Sasha has supported us with improved processes, strengthening our staff skills in response to instances of violence, building referral partnerships and processes, and improving our data collection, reporting and accountability mechanisms across the referral pathway.”
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