Cerissa A. Brown, LBSW
Storyteller. Social worker. Consultant.
Writer. Educator. Advocate.
I write, teach, and speak about Black women’s mental health, how our experiences are understood, and the support we need to live well.
My work brings together my own lived experience with mental health, professional practice, research, and advocacy.
My professional background, speaking & advocacy
I am an Alabama Licensed Bachelor Social Worker completing an Advanced Standing Clinical MSW with a mental health focus, with graduation anticipated in April 2027.
Professional backgroundThe work, in practice.
My public advocacy and community work began in 2008. Today, that experience informs a growing body of writing, education, and original work.
Original workshops & public education
I created, produced, and facilitated For Us, By Us: Building Mutual Aid That Works, including its original participant materials. My speaking includes NAMICon and The Royal Shift: PAUSE Awareness. For my upcoming Drexel workshop, I developed The Record After You to teach people to keep their notes clear, describe behavior instead of relying on labels, and make sure what they write won’t be misunderstood later.
Public leadership & advocacy
Candidate for Mayor of Birmingham in 2021 and founder and organizer of a three-year citywide menstrual-product access initiative.
Testified at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency public hearing on environmental justice and community health in 2023.
Influential Women feature
Featured on Influential Women, sharing my work in mental health advocacy, community leadership, and culturally responsive support for Black women, along with the values and experiences that guide it.
Read my full CV ↗LBSW achieved. The journey continues.
Read with me. Learn with me.
My reflection in The Holistic Healing Source Scholarly Anthology
A Black woman can work, care for others, and meet her responsibilities while still needing mental health support. My reflection on page 20 draws on my work with clients and my own lived experience.
Read my contribution, page 20When Work Follows You Home
I created and facilitate this eight-meeting live online group for Black women. We examine workplace mistreatment, how it affects life beyond work, and practical decisions about responding, seeking support, and returning to personal time. The Participant Resource Guide is included.
11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Central, with holiday breaks. Sharing is optional. Meetings are not recorded.
See dates, price & registrationThe Record After You
I created this workshop to teach people to keep their notes clear, describe behavior instead of relying on labels, and make sure what they write won’t be misunderstood later.
Accepted and scheduled for Drexel’s Forensic Rights and Treatment Conference. 12:15–1:30 p.m. Central.
Explore the workshopMore of the work.
Chosen Is Not the Prize
A relationship and cultural-commentary book centered on Black women, about what happens when being chosen is mistaken for being valued, cared for, or well-loved.
Know Her Before You Label Her
A practical professional book about understanding Black women in context, separating facts from assumptions, and documenting responsibly before written conclusions shape care and other life decisions.
WISE Framework in Development
Whole-Woman Integrated Support and Equity Across the Continuum of Care
Created and developed by Cerissa A. Brown, WISE is a framework in development for ongoing, whole-woman support centered on Black women’s mental and behavioral health. It connects clinical care, practical needs, relationships, and community support across times of wellness and difficulty. WISE is being developed to inform practice, research, and professional education, with future evaluation examining wellness, stability, and mental health and substance use relapse prevention.
My free After a Difficult Workday guide is also available with my writing and resources.
Explore my writing & resources
Cerissa A. Brown & Associates
My professional company for speaking, workshops, professional and community education, and original resource development.
Explore CABA
Reecee’s Reach
The nonprofit I founded to support Black women’s mental health through culturally responsive information, resources, and community connection.
About Reecee’s ReachLet’s have a conversation.
For a speaking or workshop inquiry, share your audience, topic, preferred date, virtual or in-person format, and what you hope participants will gain.
Speaking and workshop engagements are paid. Please include your available budget with your inquiry.
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