Loretta Baylor has over 20 years of experience providing education, psychoeducation, and counseling services in various communities throughout the DC Metropolitan area as a Mental Health professional serving adults with Mental Health and Co-Occurring Disorders. It was through these experiences, Loretta recognized many of the traumas her clients faced were a result of challenging childhood experiences, and so she decided to return to school to become a Professional School Counselor. As an advocate for students, she believes it is important to nurture the whole child, and cultivate an atmosphere of safety, exploration, and acceptance to support emotional development and growth.

 

Loretta obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, from St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC. She began her career as a Mental Health Professional with John’s Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in 2006 in Baltimore, MD providing case management and psycho-social education in an outpatient day program. She later transitioned into serving the adult population as a vocational specialist and later become a Case Manager with the City of Alexandria, Department of Community & Human Services, Wellness Center. Loretta obtained her Master’s Degree in Education from Bowie State University in Bowie, MD. In her role as a Professional School Counselor, Loretta took on various leadership roles developing a parent group presenting mental health and academic information that supports student growth and development. Leading professional development for teachers on topics such as trauma, stress management, social-emotional learning, and more. Loretta has served as the Representative for Private and Independent Schools with the Maryland School Counselor Association Executive Board (MSCA) and continues to participate in training and professional development focusing on various areas such as suicide prevention, mandated reporting, mental health and youth, trauma informed education, and much more.

 

As an Educational Consultant with the Onyx Therapy Group, Loretta looks forward to the opportunity to share her knowledge and grow as an educator and mental health professional. Loretta is currently seeking approval from the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and plans to take the National Counselor Examination to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She’s the current School Counselor at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science and looks forward to publishing her first book on high school transition and post-secondary education options.

 

"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." –Malcom X