Dr. Charmeka Newton is a fully licensed psychologist and owner of Legacy Mental Health Services, PLLC. She has over 10 years of experience in clinical, academic, and community settings, including teaching experience at both undergraduate and graduate levels of higher education. In addition to her clinical and teaching expertise, Dr. Newton is also a member of the Michigan Board of Psychology, appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She is a sought after psychology expert featured in prominent magazines and newscasts, recently featured on the June 2020 broadcast of West Michigan Woman where she discussed how to have difficult conversations with your family about race. She is also co-author of the book, Black Lives Are Beautiful: 50 Tools to Heal from Trauma and Promote Positive Racial Identity, published through Routledge, an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC., as well as co-author of the peer-reviewed article, “Culturally Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a Model to Address Internalized Racism Among African American Clients,” published in the April 2022 issue of the Journal of Mental Health Counseling.

Dr. Janeé Steele is a licensed professional counselor, counselor educator, and diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. Dr. Steele is also the owner and clinical director of Kalamazoo Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy, PLLC, where she provides therapy, supervision, and training in CBT. She is the author of the upcoming book, Racism and African American Mental Health: Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Empower Healing, and the co-author of the book, Black Lives Are Beautiful: 50 Tools to Heal from Trauma and Promote Positive Racial Identity, both published through Routledge. Her other scholarly activity includes peer-reviewed articles focused on CBT, social justice advocacy, and counselor training. Her favorite article, published in the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling and Development, describes cognitive conceptualization and treatment planning using CBT and a proposed cognitive model of internalized racism. Her webinar discussing the proposed cognitive model of internalized racism is one of the American Counseling Association's bestselling products and was featured by the organization as part of its 2022 BIPOC Awareness Month programming.