Dr. O is a world renowned International Psychologist, Author, Trauma Expert & Consultant
10/17/2025
Healing starts with self-love—every single time.
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to put yourself first, especially when the world expects you to be strong? Here’s the truth: healing from trauma isn’t about erasing your past—it’s about honoring your journey, your culture, and your UNIQUENESS.
As women and girls of color, we carry stories that deserve care and compassion. Sometimes, that means giving yourself permission to rest, to say no, or to ask for help. Sometimes, it’s as simple as journaling your feelings, sharing space with sisters who get it, or reading an affirmation card that reminds you: you are enough.
Ready to start your healing journey in a safe, empowering space? Join our next group session at our Berkley Lake or Duluth office—where community meets self-love.
DM me or click the link in my bio to save your spot. 🌱
10/16/2025
What does healing look like worldwide, really?
Ever wondered how trauma recovery and empowerment show up in airport lounges, across continents, and in the hearts of women who look like us? From Atlanta to Accra, I’ve witnessed the power of sisterhood and resilience in every timezone. Each journey reminds me: our stories are different, but our healing is deeply connected.
This week, I’m working (and dreaming big) from a sunlit airport lounge, surrounded by brilliant women of color—each one bringing her UNIQUENESS to the table. My laptop is open, passport ready, and my heart is full—because this work is GLOBAL.
Curious about how international experiences shape the way I serve our local community in Duluth and Berkley Lake? Or how YOU can be part of a movement that unites and uplifts women and girls of color?
Let’s start a conversation. Drop your questions or share your own travel + healing story below—I’d love to hear from you! 🌍✨
10/15/2025
Real healing begins with real, shared stories.
Ever wondered what it feels like to truly be seen, heard, and supported on your healing journey? In our sunlit Atlanta office, women and girls of color gather—bringing their pain, hope, and resilience into a space where every voice matters. Each session is a living testament: trauma can be transformed, and community is the medicine.
If you’re searching for a place to heal with people who truly get it, I invite you to join us. Your story deserves to be witnessed. 💖
Ready to take the first step? Message Dr. O or visit our office to learn more about our group sessions and membership community. 🌟
10/14/2025
What does real healing look like together?
Last week, I witnessed a moment that gave me chills—a group of women, each carrying her own story of pain, laughing and embracing after a powerful session. It reminded me how much we need spaces where our voices and experiences are not only heard, but celebrated.
Healing isn’t just about overcoming trauma. It’s about rediscovering your power in a room full of sisters who truly see you. At ToGetHer Empowered, every story matters—and every journey is honored.
Curious about how community can change your healing journey? Reach out to see how joining us can help you write your next chapter. 💖
10/11/2025
Self-love begins with honoring your story.
Ever wondered why healing feels so hard? Sometimes, it’s not just about what happened to us—it’s about the spaces we’re given to heal. In our therapy circle, every woman and girl of color brings her own light, her own truth, and her own power.
What if today you gave yourself permission to rest, to feel, to be seen—just as you are? That’s where real self-love lives. 🌱
Ready to step into a community that truly sees you? Join me, Dr. O, and a vibrant circle of women and girls of color in Atlanta who are rewriting the narrative of trauma and triumph—together. Book your spot for our next group session or reach out for a one-on-one conversation.
You deserve a space where your healing—and your UNIQUENESS—are celebrated. 💛
Message me or visit us in Duluth or Berkley Lake to begin your journey.
10/09/2025
Healing is possible—here’s living proof.
Ever wonder what it feels like to finally find a space where your story is honored, your culture is celebrated, and your healing matters? I’ve watched women and girls of color walk into our sunlit rooms carrying pain—and leave with hope, laughter, and new strength.
One client recently shared, “I never thought I’d feel safe enough to trust again. Dr. O, you helped me see my UNIQUENESS as my superpower.” That’s why I do this work—so we can heal, together.
If you’re ready to start your own journey, or simply need a community that gets it, reach out. Your healing story deserves to be told. 💛
Message me or visit our Berkley Lake or Duluth offices to connect.
10/08/2025
What does healing look like on the move?
Ever wondered how a therapy session can start in Atlanta and end in an airport lounge across the world? As Dr. O, I’ve built my life around bridging cultures, empowering women and girls of color, and carrying stories of resilience wherever I land. Every passport stamp reminds me: healing is a global journey—one that needs every shade, every voice, every story.
Today, I’m surrounded by brilliant women and girls of color, sharing laughter, wisdom, and hope as we wait for our next flight. This is more than travel—it’s a movement, and you’re invited.
Curious about how our work can support your healing or leadership journey? Let’s connect—book a session or join our next group at our Duluth or Berkley Lake offices.
🌍✨
10/04/2025
What does healing look like, worldwide and up close?
Every airport I step into is a reminder: our stories and struggles are more connected than we think. From Atlanta to Johannesburg, I’ve witnessed women and girls of color rise above trauma, reclaim joy, and build sisterhood—no matter the language or landscape.
This journey isn’t just about miles traveled. It’s about hearts healed and hope restored, together. Curious how global experience shapes the care we offer right here in Georgia?
Let’s talk about what true, culturally-rooted empowerment can look like for you or your loved ones. Book a call or drop your questions below—I’m here to support your next step. 🌍💖
10/03/2025
Ever wondered what self-love really looks like?
Sometimes healing starts with the smallest steps—like a deep breath, a gentle affirmation, or reaching out for connection. In our circle, every woman and girl of color deserves to feel seen, heard, and empowered.
Try this today: Place your hand on your heart, close your eyes, and remind yourself: "I am worthy. I am healing. I am not alone."
Ready to take your next step? Join us in Duluth or Berkley Lake for group sessions and experience healing in community. 💖
With love and solidarity,
Dr. O
10/02/2025
Healing together—real stories, real strength await.
Ever wonder what it truly looks like when women of color come together to heal? In our cozy circle, pain turns into power and shared stories become the foundation for lifelong transformation. Every journey is unique, but in this space, no one walks it alone.
Curious about what’s possible for you or someone you love? Reach out or join us for our next group session—let’s keep writing these stories of hope, together. 💖
10/01/2025
What if healing could cross continents?
This week, I found myself in a bustling airport lounge—passport in hand, surrounded by women and girls from every corner of the globe. Each story shared reminded me: our journeys may look different, but our dreams for healing and empowerment are deeply connected.
As a Navy veteran and international psychologist, I’ve learned that true transformation happens when we bring our UNIQUENESS to the table—no matter where that table sits in the world.
Ready to explore how global perspectives can enrich your own healing journey? Let’s connect in person at our Duluth or Berkley Lake offices, or send me a message if you want to join our next group session.
We’re building a community that knows no borders. 🌍✨
09/27/2025
Ready to rewrite your healing story today?
Every scar holds a lesson, but you deserve more than survival—you deserve joy. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting your past; it means loving yourself enough to move forward, one gentle step at a time.
Start with this: Take five minutes to write down three things you love about yourself. Notice how your heart softens, even just a little. That’s where real change begins.
Want more tools for self-love and healing? Join our next group session or book a one-on-one with me, Dr. O. Your journey is powerful—let’s walk it together. 💖
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Hi, my name is Dr. Bertrina Olivia West Al-Mahdi. But most people call me Dr. O. I am a U. S. Navy veteran, International Psychologist, Coach, Trauma, Diversity & Inclusion consultant, and a Human, Social, Civil Rights Advocate and Activist, and Clinical Director at Out of the Box, Counseling, Coaching, and Consulting. I specialize in the area of trauma recovery and I have dedicated my life and career to helping individuals, families, couples, adolescents, and children overcome emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioral challenges. Some of these challenges may include family or individual crisis, trauma, death, loss, or divorce, depression, anxiety, ADHD, behavioral issues, addiction, eating and body image disorders, personality disorders, sexual dysfunction, self-harm, and su***de, or complex mental health disorders.
I received my Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University in Phoenix, Arizona. I graduated with honors and specialized training in cognitive therapy and trauma-focused therapy. Following my master’s degree, I participated in the Diplomacy Fellows Program with the U. S. Department of State. I completed my doctorate degree in International Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, with a concentration in Trauma.
Over the past 8 years, I have provided mental health services in both private and not for profit sectors; including 1-year at an inpatient substance abuse residential facility, 1-year at an outpatient clinic for substance abuse, 1-year at an outpatient clinic for veterans, and 1-year at a state psychiatric hospital.
As a trauma and Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) consultant, I provide consultation to various private, government, and nonprofit organizations internationally. With over 10 years of experience in the field, I have shared my expertise in trauma and diversity-related issues via educational seminars, workshops, and training. Some of my topics include: Understanding and Coping with Trauma as a Trauma Worker: Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Burnout; Coping with and Understanding Traumatic Experiences Including: Posttraumatic Stress, Sexual Abuse, Physical/Domestic Abuse, Death and Divorce, Natural Disaster, International Trauma and War and Conflict; as well as conducting diversity workshops, seminars, and presentations on how to address diversity, inclusion, and discrimination issues and resolve D&I related problems in the workplace, cultural competency, raising awareness and understanding of diversity, inclusion, and discrimination, colorism, religion, and effective communication with diverse populations.
I have had the pleasure of working with the Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and the Office of Global Women’s Issues, the LemonAide fund, and Operation Bobbi Bear. Her duties included providing aid and sustainable solutions for refugees, women, victims of conflict and stateless people around the world, by ensuring that women’s issues were integrated in the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy, promoting stability, peace, and development by empowering women politically, socially, and economically, and through government-funded resettlement programs in the United States. My areas of expertise include female ge***al mutation, colorism, vicarious traumatization, and diversity-related trauma, sexual abuse, discrimination, diversity and inclusion, issues of acculturation, anxiety, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, loss, addiction, invisible disability-related issues, and conflict resolution.
I believe in taking a holistic approach to therapy, coaching, and consulting. Because not everyone is familiar with therapy, or on the same level of recovery, I believe in stepping Outside of the Box of traditional talk therapy, and doing whatever it takes to meet my clients where they are at their current stage of life. I believe therapy is not just about “fixing the mind” (ie thoughts and behaviors), but it is important to understand how our physical health and personal affairs also play a part in our mental well being. Thus, I incorporate an equal balance of wellness and harmony in your mind, body, and personal affairs. Some may call my approach to counseling, coaching and consulting unorthodox, as I step away from traditional approaches and ways of thinking. However, I believe in truly partnering with each individual client to meet their unique needs and accomplish goals.
I am passionate about supporting individuals, couples, families, children, adolescents, organizations, and communities throughout all of life’s transitions and challenges; as well as advocate for equality across nations. My compassionate demeanor is, undoubtedly, impacted by my own multicultural background, traumatic experiences and exposures. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, playing with my two children, traveling, writing poetry, and working out.
I offer virtual, in-home, and in-office appoints. Again, I believe in meeting my clients where they are both figuratively and literally! To schedule an appointment with me or to book me as a guest speaker please contact me at olivia@outoftheboxccc.org.
