DAHIR NASSER, MPH

AYA RASHEED, LMFT

DAHIR NASSER, MPH

Growing up, the men in my life encouraged me to participate in sports. I found my first love in the game of basketball and played from grade school to the collegiate level, eventually becoming an elite point guard, team captain, and national champion. I became really good at listening to people, understanding situations and ways we could elevate our performance, and helping others reach their highest potential. I’ve refined these skills over the last 15 years to help athletes and the everyday man overcome repetitive performance related problems, manage stress and anxiety, and identify their “flow” state of optimal performance.

As men and athletes, we are taught and expected to be nothing but strong - for our women, our children, and in the face of white society. “Strength at all costs” was a guiding principle in my community. It took a lot of self work to evolve my thinking. I have learned that strength still needs support. Keeping things bottled up isn’t a healthy way to live. And having a part of you feel weak does not mean you’re weak. Actually, it takes a lot of strength to give that part of you attention so it can get support and heal.

Through both fatherhood and my professional calling to lift others, I know that the right support can have a massive impact on a person’s mindset, performance, and overall well-being. That’s why I found it so important to provide counsel and coaching that caters to the mental and emotional needs of men and athletes. As such, for the last 12 years mental health coaching has been a natural fit for me.

When it comes to my day to day life, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two daughters, competing in and coaching sports, practicing meditation, traveling, mentoring youth, and community organizing. I love to workout and I think of therapy as a workout of the mind. Working out strengthens the body and keeps it fresh and active. Therapy works out the mind, which improves overall performance and health because the body and mind are connected.

I have a BA in Psychology from Cal Poly Pomona and completed course work for the Masters in Public Health, with a concentration in health promotion and behavioral science from San Diego State University. I’ve also received clinical training in motivational interviewing and Brainspotting therapy. I am the cofounder of Soulful Mental Health where we focus on advancing mental health in BIPOC communities through offering education, advocacy, and clinical therapeutic services. I’m also the Director of Soulful Safaris where our mission is to give everyone the opportunity to return and reconnect with Africa and African people as a form of generational healing in a thoughtful, fun, and soulful way.

Specialties:

• Support men looking to develop confidence, healthy habits and positive mindsets.

• Facilitating client’s processing and overcoming racial discrimination and trauma in school and the workplace.

• Support teams, players, and coaches manage stress and achieve peak performance.

• Coaching athletes in the mental recovery from sports injuries and sports performance related problems that effect performance ability.

• Support men as they transition to husbands and fathers and break cycles from their childhood.

  • navigating household leadership, children’s discipline, and learning how to be vulnerable with partner and kids.

• Advising couples on how to navigate divorce, breakups, and stepparents.

• Helping couples with their ability to balance coparenting and maintaining a healthy relationship.

We provide evidence-based therapeutic interventions that are culturally tuned for our pain, our joy, our history, and our growth. Our services can range from short-term problem solving, education and coaching, to more in-depth sessions. In addition, We have a focus in helping clients work through elements of identity including race/ethnicity and religion, including interracial/intercultural individuals and couples. We take the complexities of your life into account and provide customized a experience.

AYA RASHEED, LMFT

When it comes to my day to day life you’ll find me reading, playing sports, lifting heavy weights, traveling, exploring new restaurants, and enhancing people's lives. Helping people see brighter perspectives and transition through life's trials is what I am most passionate about. I have over 14 years of experience (see credentials and experience below). Even so, what my clients value most is my active listening, warm presence and easy going personality. Utilizing self-reflection and concrete direction, I help you create a vision for your goals, plan the steps to achieve them and promote a mindset to match. I will be there to make sure you are heard. 

Credentials and Experience

I am licensed in the state of California as a Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT#117195). I have a Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from Alliant International University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. I am verified by Psychology Today, a member of the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT), the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT), and am currently on the Board of the Sacramento Valley California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (SVCAMFT).

By fate and opportunity in 2008, I dove into the mental health field leading adult groups focused on anger management, parenting and helping perpetrators of domestic violence, as well as youth groups for teens struggling with anger, truancy, and drugs. In 2010, I began work in a facility for children suffering with severe mental illness. In 2012, following my marriage, I moved to a new city and began working with adults and families facing major life transitions (e.g., coming back from the military to civilian life, overcoming addiction, and adapting to family life).  Simultaneously, I built and directed a wrap-around program for young adults who aged out of foster homes. 

In 2014, I returned to my passion of working with individuals and couples in a private practice setting. I helped them see their self worth, build foundations for their relationships, and mend betrayals while building paths of trust and happiness. I've worked with community leaders to bring mental health services to individuals and families that would have otherwise not had access to them and I’ve facilitated groups and workshops about relationships and marriage at universities and community centers across the West Coast.