Tanya Sherise Odums, LCSW-R, M.S.Ed, CCTP

Mental Health Mentor, Coach & Consultant 

Action Based Therapist

Mental Health Therapist & Behavioral Health Consultant

Tanya Odums is the founder of KhepeRa Counseling & Consulting. With over 25 years of experience working with NYC’s most at risk population of urban youth and 20 years experience of postmaster’s mental health counseling, Tanya’s desire to enhance the social conditions of people residing in economically deprived communities is what inspired her to pursue a career in Human Services. She earned a MSW degree from Hunter College School of Social Work and a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership from Brooklyn College. She completed her B.S. in Deviant Behavior and Social Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and minored in Sociology.

Born and raised in East New York Brooklyn, Tanya has dedicated her career to transforming the lives of at risk youth and assisting them with becoming productive members of society. She is an educator, with over 10 years experience working within higher education. A former Professor of Psychology and Human Sexuality at Touro College and a Human Services Professor at the City University of New York; she is currently an Adjunct Lecturer for New York University’ s Silver School of Social Work Advanced Trauma-Informed Clinical Practice Program. Tanya is also a Certified School Building Leader who has acted as an Assistant Principal of Guidance Counseling and Safety and Discipline for 8 years in a public High School. In this role she created a clinical case management model, secured a community school grant and established a school based licensed mental health clinic on the campus. Her expertise lies in her ability to create healthy organizational cultures and develop engaging creative programs for the most challenging youth. She is currently being trained as Restorative Justice Practitioner.

Her career began at Spofford Juvenile Detention Center and spans across the spectrum of juvenile justice, child welfare, community mental health, higher education, youth development, early childhood education and school social work. She is an innovative professional who utilizes nontraditional modalities of counseling when working with diverse populations.

As an advocate for mental wellness in the black community she served as an advisor to The Stay Strong Foundation, founded by her mentor, Terrie Williams, Publicist and author of Black Pain: It just looks like we are not hurinng and Stay Strong: Daily Life Lessons for Teens. Under Terrie's mentorship Tanya help to established the Safe Space Counseling Program for the Junior Scholar's Program at the Schomburge Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

Tanya is also the former Executive Director and Co-Founder of HYPE: Helping Young People Excel, Inc.; a not for profit organization that uses creative expressive therapies to help youth heal from their trauma. As the founder and head consultant of KhepeRa Counseling and Consulting she ensures the delivery of quality mental health treatment to individuals, groups and families and provides clinical supervision to mental health and human services professionals. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional specializing in the treatment of depression and anxiety. She is also an Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapist, EDIT Certified to treat compuslive eating disorders and obesity. She offers consultations and professional development training/coaching to CBO's and educational institutions to assist them with program development to promote success and improve the delivery of services.

Tanya's ultimate goal as a social worker is to bridge the gap between spirituality and social work practice in the treatment of depressed and oppressed populations. As an educator and mental health practicioner she seeks to mend services between mental health and education to assist with closing the achievement gap among urban youth from impoverished communities. She is a dynamic speaker and trainer who strongly believes in self cultivation for personal growth. On her quest for self improvement she, herself, has studied with Iyanla Vanzant, founder of Inner Visions Institute; Queen Afua, founder of Sacred Woman/Heal Thyself; and Shawenee Renee Benton, founder of Spirit of A Woman Leadership Development Institute. She believes that healing and self-cultivation is a journey that never ends and the foundation of success and transformation for all.

Summary of Qualifications, Experience and Training 

Education, Licences, Certifications

Professional Experience

Higher Education (10+ years)

Certifications and Trainings

Personal Development Training

Tanya Sherise Odums