At N Street Village, addressing mental health is critical to helping women stabilize, heal, and rebuild their lives.
The Behavioral Health Services team, led by Clinical Director Adebukola Olufotebi, takes a trauma-informed approach to its work. This approach recognizes the widespread impact of trauma—including abuse, violence, and neglect—and incorporates that understanding into programs, policies, and interactions to avoid re-traumatization, creating a safe, supportive environment for healing. Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with you,” the team approaches care by asking “What happened to you?”
The most common types of mental illnesses affecting women at the Village are PTSD, affective disorders, and psychotic disorders. To treat these concerns, the BHS team offers individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatric medication management, and crisis stabilization.
Olufotebi says virtually every client she has worked with has experienced significant childhood trauma that continues to shape their lives. She explained that trauma deeply affects mental health, which in turn can
impact emotional regulation and behavior—including how women respond to stress, build relationships, and navigate daily life.
Assistant Clinical Director LaQuarion Bradley (left) and Clinical Director Adebukola Olufotebi (right)
“Trauma has a direct impact on the body and brain. A lot of times when people experience trauma, there’s less executive functioning, so they’re not able to think as logically or rationally about decisions that they’re making,” she explained.
Over the last year, N Street Village has seen an increase in severe behavioral health challenges among the women it serves. Many women are navigating complex challenges that require a level of care and support no single person can provide alone. The team supports these women through individual and group therapy while providing a consistent, safe space where women can feel genuinely cared for and supported — sometimes for the first time in their lives. The Village becomes a source of stability that many women may not experience elsewhere.
The BHS team also recognizes that women must have their basic needs like shelter, food, and physical security met before they can fully focus on addressing their mental health, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Meaning, recovery is often a long journey that requires stabilization before healing can begin.
LaQuarion Bradley, the Village’s Assistant Clinical Director, says she is continually inspired by the tenacity, courage, and resilience of the women as they navigate the difficult path toward healing. “Some of these women have been through really horrific things and they still show up…they show up boldly and it’s enlightening. It’s fulfilling to see,” she says.
In Bradley’s experience, client success starts with building awareness of behavioral health patterns and emotional triggers. She explains that once a client can say, “I was triggered. I recognized I was triggered. I remember exactly what triggered me and why,” it reflects meaningful progress in understanding the connection between past experiences, mental health, and behavior.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we recognize that mental health touches everyone—whether through personal experience or through someone we know. Behind every person is a story we may not fully see or understand, which is why compassion, empathy, and human connection are foundational at the Village.