Agenda for Demystifying Mental Health - A Community Forum

• Resources Fair and Networking
• Panel Presentation: Reducing Mental Health Stigma in Underserved Groups and Communities of Color
• Breakout sessions including:
  • Maternal Minds Matter: Understanding and Supporting Maternal Mental Health
  • Mental Health & Well-Being among LGBTQIA+ Groups
  • (Man)aging (Men)tal Health: We Are in the Name, So Why Aren’t We in the Room?
  • Hope, Connection, and Wellness: The Role of Spirituality in Mental Health
  • Mental Health for All: Promoting Well-Being and Building Supportive Communities
  • Mind, Body, Spirit: A Parenting & Mental Health Workshop
• Self-Care & Wellness Workshops

Presenter's Biographies

Cherline Arnoux, MSW

Cherline Arnoux is a dedicated clinician with a strong passion for women’s health and wellness, particularly in the areas of maternal and paternal well-being. After earning her master’s degree in social work, she began her career in child protection before transitioning into her current role as a Behavioral Health Clinician at the Boston Public Health Commission. She has completed a fellowship in Early Relational Health through the Department of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School and holds a certificate in Relational and Multi-Contextual Trauma from Simmons University. In her work supporting maternal health, Cherline co-created the Black Women in Motherhood Support Group—a culturally responsive program designed to help Black women navigate perinatal mood and anxiety disorders during the postpartum period. Beyond her clinical work, Cherline serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Boston Healthy Families Community-Based Perinatal Health Project (Boston COPHI/Doula Project) and Empower Our Crown, a nonprofit focused on cultivating mental and emotionally resilient changemakers. She is also a proud member of the Boston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, where she actively serves the Boston community through impactful public service initiatives, educational outreach, and community programming. With over a decade of professional experience serving women, children, and families, she remains committed to making an impact in the city of Boston, focusing her efforts on supporting its most vulnerable populations.

Natalie Cort, PhD

Dr. Natalie A. Cort (she/hers), who was born in Guyana, South America, is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and an Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology at William James College (WJC). Dr. Cort is the Director of the Center for Multicultural & Global Mental Health. She also directs WJC’s pioneering institution-wide Teaching Faculty Fellowship aimed at recruiting faculty from underrepresented backgrounds. Furthermore, Dr. Cort directs WJC’s Black Mental Health Graduate Academy, a mentoring program to recruit and cultivate future Black leaders in the psychology and mental health counseling fields. Dr. Cort has been a research grade psychiatric diagnostician, investigator, consultant, intervention developer, and clinician on more than ten research trials federally funded by the United States’ National Institute of Mental Health and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. She has also trained clinicians in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression Training Program. Dr. Cort has authored journal articles and a practitioner guide on racial/ethnic differences in youth mental health, child abuse reporting practices, high-risk sexual behaviors, age-discordant sexual relationships, and depression treatment outcomes. Through her company, Cort Consulting & Counseling, LLC, Dr. Cort provides training and consultation to ensure the promotion of culturally responsive organizational policies and the institution of equitable and inclusive practices in clinical training and research.

Ellen Ijebor, PhD

Dr. Ellen Ijebor is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at William James College. Her research and clinical interests broadly focus on the intersectional and multidimensional, sociocultural factors that impact well-being. Within this, she examines the topics of global mental health, social identity, spirituality, sexuality, and well-being among diverse populations with a particular interest and in Black, African, and Immigrant and Refugee communities. Dr. Ijebor’s professional areas of focus include research, teaching, supervision, and community and individual clinical care.

Sarah Mughal, PhD, MPH

Dr. Sarah Mughal is the Program Director for the Office of Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention with the MA Department of Mental Health. She has 15 years experience leading mental health promotion and suicide prevention initiatives, primarily with youth and student populations, and specializes in program design, impact evaluation, and community engagement. Her Masters in Public Health specialized on addressing social inequities in mental health and her PhD focused on improving mental health outcomes across whole populations. She is passionate about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive and lead healthy, fulfilling lives and she is thrilled to join this conversation on mental health for all.

Damon Pryor, LMHC, PsyD

Dr. Damon Pryor received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in African and Caribbean Mental Health from William James College in Newton, MA. He also holds a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. Dr. Pryor is a licensed mental health counselor who has been practicing in various settings since 2013. His areas of clinical interests include African and Caribbean mental health, multicultural issues, identity development, global well-being, trauma, grief and coping, and college counseling. Dr. Pryor defines his theoretical orientation as being generalist, incorporating various modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Humanistic Theory, and Psychodynamic Theory. Currently, Dr. Pryor is the Coordinator of Professional and Career Advancement Programs in the Center for Workforce Development at William James College. He is also an Adjunct Faculty in the CDEP Department at Boston College in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. Additionally, Dr. Pryor is engaged in research related to mental well-being in men of color, the disparities and struggles of culturally and racially diverse college students, and the challenges of cross-racial adoptions. He maintains an online private practice and believes that working with clients therapeutically is about meeting them where they are and joining with them to find their destination.

Shanni Turner, PhD

Dr. Shani Turner is an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology Department at William James College, where she also serves as Director of the PATHWAYS Program and the African & Caribbean Mental Health Concentration. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from Wichita State University and completed her pre-doctoral internship at Community Healthlink Youth and Family Services in Worcester, Massachusetts, with specialized training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). In 2011, Dr. Turner completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital through the Leadership Training in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Program in Adolescent Medicine. During this time, she also held an appointment at Harvard Medical School as a Clinical Fellow in Psychology within the Department of Psychiatry. Following her fellowship, she worked in the Behavioral Health Department at the South End Community Health Center, providing individual, group, and school-based therapy. From 2017 to 2020, she served as an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at Stonehill College. At William James College, Dr. Turner also serves as Associate Director of the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Professionals, a HRSA-funded initiative that expands experiential training opportunities for students. Beyond her academic roles, she is the Founder of Strength In Families (SIF), a nonprofit organization established in 2022 dedicated to strengthening parent–child relationships by providing coaching, consultation, and workshops tailored to parents of adolescents. Dr. Turner’s research focuses on parenting within African and Caribbean communities, parent coaching, and the intersection of culture and family dynamics. She has published widely and presented at numerous local and national conferences.

Catherine Vuky, PhD

Dr. Catherine Vuky is an Assistant Professor and Program Director at William James College, where she founded the Asian Mental Health Concentration, the first national graduate program dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of the Asian community. She also serves as Director of Clinical Policies and Training and Associate Director of the Behavioral Health Department at South Cove Community Health Center. She is a graduate of the California School of Professional Psychology—Alameda campus. Dr. Vuky completed her pre-doctoral internship at Boston University Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology with a focus on multicultural and family therapy. With over 20 years of experience serving immigrant and refugee families, Dr. Vuky is committed to providing culturally responsive care and increasing access through multilingual educational materials. Her theoretical approach is embedded in family systems with a special focus on children and adults with issues of complex trauma and depression. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched the Asian Providers’ Network to support and mentor emerging professionals. She consulted for the Asian Community Fund at The Boston Foundation and led a convening of 10 Asian-led organizations to collaboratively address mental health disparities across Massachusetts—securing funding to expand supervision and training through secondary supervisor roles. Dr. Vuky also advised Dalat University in Vietnam on launching a campus counseling center.