ABOUT DR. SONYA

Sonya

Dr.

Dr. Sonya L. Ford has a warm and passionate personality.  A dynamic and energetic public speaker, she is also a staunch advocate for the mental health and school counseling professions.  Dr. Sonya is an author, professor, counselor, and blogger; providing inspirational messages to all. She is currently the Wellness Center Director at a Medical School in the West Indies.


Dr. Sonya earned her undergraduate degree from Old Dominion University, Master of Science degree from The Johns Hopkins University, and Doctor of Education from the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University.  She holds two Certificates of Advanced Graduate Studies from The Johns Hopkins University in Clinical Community Counseling and Teaching in Higher Education.  She is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), National Certified School Counselor (NCSC), and Board Certified Telemental Health Counselor (BC-TMH).  


Dr. Sonya is a member of several service and community organizations.  Dr. Sonya is a Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of America, and a member (PMJF) of the Lions Club of Antigua.  Dr. Sonya sits on the Executive Board for the Association for University and College Center Counseling Directors (AUCCCD). She has been a presenter and keynote speaker at a variety of local, state, national, and international educational workshops and conferences.  She received the 2004 Maryland School Counselor Association Elementary School Counselor of the Year award and the 2014 Maryland School Counselor Association Middle School Counselor of the Year Award.  Dr. Sonya was a Semi-finalist for the 2015 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) School Counselor of the Year Award and was  honored at the White House by former First Lady, Michelle Obama.  Dr. Sonya served a three-year term on the Advisory Team for the National Office of School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA).  Dr. Sonya served on the Advisory Council for the Bowie State University, College of Education, Department of Counseling. She served on the Executive Board for the Maryland School Counselor Association (MSCA). Dr. Sonya was also the Chairperson of the Charles County Commission for Women, where she hosted a local television talk show - W.E. (Women's Empowerment) Matters


Dr. Sonya began her career in broadcasting in 1987.  She worked in radio as a traffic reporter, producer, and on-air personality for more than twenty years in the Washington, D.C. area. During her tenure in radio, Dr. Sonya was the first producer of the Tom Joyner Morning Show in the Washington D.C. area and also hosted DC Sunday, a weekly radio program, on WHUR-FM.  Dr. Sonya co-hosted a nationally syndicated radio show entitled “Family Affair” on HUR Voices on Sirius/XM Channel 141.  In addition, she has done voice-over work and has been an “extra” in both television and film.  She has also appeared on Washington, D.C. area talk shows as a guest therapist/expert on a variety of mental health related topics; and was a weekly guest expert for the  mental health segment on the Caribbean radio show, Touch Line
. Dr. Sonya currently co-hosts a local TV show, AUA Healthy Perspectives.


Having spent the majority of her life in service to others, Dr. Sonya continues to provide motivation and inspiration through her community service and writings - including blogs, poetry, and books (Love Yourself First Everyday, Sometimes Love, & And Another Thing). Dr. Sonya continues to write daily.


PRESS:

Middle School Counselor of the Year

MLK Day - Keynote Speaker

​AUA Healthy Perspectives

​Black Women and Depression

Executive Board Appointment