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Carina Baker, Therapist
I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, but have called Brooklyn home for the last 10 years. I am the daughter of a mother, who is an early childhood educator and professor, and a Navy father who worked at the VA for over 30 years. I identify as a cis-gender African-American woman.
In 2004, I graduated from Oberlin College with a BA in Politics. I received my MSW from the University at Buffalo School of Social Work in 2013. I choose social work as my profession to combine my passion for caring for people with my commitment to social justice. Being a social worker means that in additional to providing therapy, I can acknowledge the various systems and society structures that are impacting a client’s life and experiences.
Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, I worked in various non-profit and community-based organizations. From facilitating groups and workshops as a sexual health educator working with young people to leading non-profit fundraising and development, each of my life experiences continues to inform my understanding of the people I work with and the approach I take as a therapist. I have worked with parents who have been impacted by the child welfare system as well as young people and their families who have been impacted by the juvenile justice system. I have also done trainings in restorative practices and circle keeping.
Currently, I enjoy my work as a Trauma Therapist with supporting children, young people, and adults who have experienced domestic violence, abuse, and/or crime, by providing trauma-focused psychotherapy and coping strategies to support them on their healing journey. I also provide psychotherapy to adult individuals and couples.
I believe that while Black people are some of the most powerful, innovative, and beautiful people in the world, there are not enough therapeutic spaces where we can feel safe and held to work through challenges we might be facing. Race and racism are an ever-present part of our lives. In order to better serve the individuals and groups that I work with, I am constantly learning and unlearning, in order to create, co-create, hold, and (re) claim space(s) that uphold the collective liberation of Black people and other communities of color. My hope is that by doing so, there will be more opportunities for us to simply be – us.
In my practice, I work with adults, children, young people and their families, as well as facilitate groups that support healing. My clinical approach uses psychodynamic as well as various trauma-focused treatments, including Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Seeking Safety, Trauma-Focused Psychotherapy, and integrates elements of Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and mindfulness.
It is my hope that clients experience me as patient, non-judgmental, and as a supportive witness on their healing journey. That they see me as someone who is deeply invested in working with them to better understand themselves and their experiences, and as a resource to provide them with knowledge and tools to support the journey.
In addition to being the wife of an amazing Black man, I am also the mother of two beautiful Black boys, and I fight fiercely to protect their joy -- and mine. I am an outgoing introvert, a lover of loose-leaf tea and good books, and firmly believe that music and dancing have a healing power all their own.