Bernaiyya “Naya” Jackson

Bernaiyya “Naya” Jackson is a Licensed Master Social Worker who is passionate about creating a safe, supportive, and empowering space for individuals navigating life transitions, emotional challenges, and personal growth. She has a particular passion for working with adolescents, young adults, returning citizens, and new mothers, recognizing that each of these stages and experiences can bring unique challenges related to identity, relationships, family, mental wellness, and finding a sense of direction.

Naya began her educational journey at Howard University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications. Her background in communications helped shape her understanding of the power of storytelling, connection, and feeling heard. As her career evolved, her desire to work more directly with individuals, families, and communities led her to pursue a Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma.

Throughout her professional career, Naya has worked across school-based, outpatient mental health, community, and justice-involved settings. Her experience includes providing individual, family, and group therapy, supporting adolescents in school environments, and providing case management to individuals experiencing homelessness.

Her specialties include supporting clients experiencing anxiety, depression, ADHD, adjustment difficulties, trauma, significant life transitions, and facilitating programming for justice-involved youth and returning citizens. Her broader work in youth development and community-based programming has also strengthened her commitment to helping people recognize their strengths, develop healthier patterns, and envision possibilities beyond their current circumstances.

Naya approaches therapy collaboratively and believes clients should feel like active participants in their healing rather than simply recipients of treatment. Her clinical approach is strengths-based, person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive. Depending on each client’s needs, she incorporates elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, mindfulness, psychoeducation, and empowerment-based approaches. She enjoys helping clients explore the connection between their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, relationships, and environments while developing practical strategies they can use outside of the therapy room.

At the heart of Naya’s work is the belief that people can experience difficult chapters without allowing those chapters to define their entire story. She strives to provide a therapeutic environment where clients can be authentic, feel understood, challenge themselves, celebrate progress, and develop greater confidence in navigating life’s transitions.

Outside of her professional work, Naya values slowing down and enjoying the things that help her feel grounded. She enjoys listening to podcasts, skating, binge-watching a good television series, meditating, taking nature walks, and exercising. Family is an important part of her life, and she enjoys spending quality time with her loved ones as a mother and wife.

One of Naya’s favorite quotes, attributed to Nelson Mandela with her own spin as a clinician, reflects the perspective she brings to both life and her work with clients:

“Healing seems impossible until it happens.”