OUR STORY

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Lydia is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) originally from Racine, WI., who has experienced some of the same childhood/ adult trauma, racism, social injustice, and inequality as the communities that she supports and advocates for today. Lydia moved to Minnesota in 1995 with her mother and sister in hopes of better economic and educational opportunities. Since Lydia graduated from North Community High School in North Minneapolis in 1996, she has pursued the profession of Psychology as a way to understand the generational traumas and behaviors of her community and how she will one day be able to give back and serve the community that she once lived in, continues live in, and be a part of.

Lydia has a two-year Liberal Arts degree from North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, MN., a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Services from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN., and a master’s degree in Counseling and Psychology from Saint Mary’s University of MN in Minneapolis, MN. Lydia is also a Doctoral Candidate for the Educational Leadership Program at Saint Mary’s University of MN as well. Lydia’s dream has always been to help other’s “get through life”, whatever that looks like for them. It has always been a passion of hers to walk alongside others to offer guidance, support, advocacy, encouragement, reassurance, and comfort in times of distress and uncertainty.

Lydia has 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field providing services that include individual therapy, family therapy, residential counseling, group therapy, crisis intervention, stabilization, and crisis de-escalation. She also has experience in conducting standard diagnostic assessments and bio-psychosocial assessments. Lydia has worked with both adults and children, women and men who struggle with anxiety, depression, PTSD, Schizophrenia, and many more of the DSM-V diagnosis. Lydia is also state board approved in Minnesota as a clinical supervisor for LPCC and LPC licensure seekers.

In her spare time, Lydia enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading books, and figuring out her next plan of action in helping others to be successful. “Starting this agency with these lovely women, has been the proudest moment of my life! It is so exciting to be a part of something that is much bigger than myself and I am more than humbled by the experiences that I have had and very excited by what is to come.”

Jennifer has her master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Minnesota. She has loved helping individuals and families throughout her 20+ year career in county government, corrections, community non-profits, and direct practice. Now together with her amazing partner’s at Ainga, they hope to create a community and spaces that offer a wide range of behavioral health and human service supports in a safe, equitable, inclusive, respectful, compassionate way and to nurture those in our community that have been historically marginalized and underserved. In her free time Jennifer enjoys spending time with her dog Bodhi, being a self-proclaimed foodie, traveling the world learning about other cultures, and listening to Reggae music.