Vanessa Chambers, LSW

As a first-generation American from a black Jamaican household, I came from a space where therapy was seen as taboo. Understanding, being and feeling othered from a cultural perspective is what drew me to the profession of therapy and social work. I graduated from Muhlenberg College with my bachelor’s degree in psychology and Africana Studies as I  acknowledged the importance of culture on mental health after navigating years of academics and athletics while being one of few minorities. Over the next 8 years, I worked within community mental health, specifically providing preventive services to families impacted  by the child welfare system and providing individual and family therapy  to young adult individuals recently released from incarceration. Throughout the mix of community mental health, I also dabbled in  fulfilling other wellness passions such as being a local high school track and field coach and a dance choreographer.  

I received my masters degree from Long Island University in Brooklyn. During my 6  years of living in New York, I gained insight on the meanings and hardship of being a “transplant” in a new city and finding new ways of navigating safety and wellness within one’s own body when the world was limited (before, during, and after the pandemic). I trained at The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy’s in their Gender &  Sexuality psychoanalytic program, focusing on supporting adults within the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as sex workers. My additional background in personal training has influenced my focus on also supporting adults with body image challenges and disordered eating.  

I intentionally hold space for adult BIPOC folx, LGTBQIA+ folx, current and prior athletes, those experiencing life changes, and new parents. My style is warm, non-pathologizing, and empowering, with a bit of humor and a lot of realness. Trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, disordered eating, gender and sexuality challenges are all current areas of focus. To support you in your healing journey, I utilize Psychodynamic, Somatic-based, IFS (Internal Family Systems), and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) approaches. 

My motto is COLLECTIVE UNAPOLOGETIC HEALING THROUGH FULL BODY WELLNESS, supporting adult individuals in understanding the connection between mental health  and physical health through an anti-oppressive and empowering lens. TOGETHER we will address deep-rooted challenges, achieve mindfulness, and breathe life back into your body (literally!).  

“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” — Toni Morrison