About Yema:
My professional roots are in the women’s movement, working as a counsellor for women survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. I worked for a community organisation called Women Organized Against Rape, Philadelphia’s official Rape Crisis Centre, doing crisis counselling for rape survivors on a help line and hospital emergency room (A&E). I also worked for the Bilingual Domestic Violence Project, in another Philadelphia organisation, providing domestic violence counselling on an individual and group basis for women experiencing or recovering from domestic violence.
In other capacities which involved using my organising and facilitating skills, I worked for the Angolan network of women’s organisations, Rede Mulher, a refuge for women fleeing domestic violence situations in Denmark, and an HIV testing and counselling point for minorities in Denmark.
In the UK, as a counsellor/psychotherapist, I worked with migrant women who experienced various forms of Violence Against Women, such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, and trafficking, to name a few. I have also helped diverse clients through trauma, depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, coping with a chronic illness among other difficulties.
As a black and African woman in the psychotherapeutic and coaching worlds, I have been very aware of the great insufficiencies in addressing the specific needs of black women, and I have made it my mission to fill that gap. Click here to learn more about how I work.