What the work
looks like in practice.
Original workshops, public conversations, writing, and advocacy rooted in Black women’s lives and the systems that shape them.
Created.
Presented.
Put into practice.
These completed projects show different parts of my work: building a learning experience, bringing behavioral health into public conversation, and making a community concern heard.
For Us, By Us: Building Mutual Aid That Works
Creator, producer & facilitator · February 2, 2025
I developed and facilitated this two-hour virtual workshop on mutual aid and community care, including original participant materials.
View the workshop in my professional recordWhen a Black Woman Says Something Has Changed
Speaker · The Royal Shift: PAUSE Awareness 2026 · October 23, 2026
At Royal Shift, I spoke about Black women’s mental health, perimenopause and midlife, and being taken seriously. The presentation addressed changing symptoms and behavior alongside practical healthcare self-advocacy.
Read the presentation recordNAMICon 2023
Express Talk speaker · June 2023
I was an Express Talk speaker at the National Alliance on Mental Illness conference. My wider speaking history includes community panels, breakout facilitation, and public conversations about mental health.
Explore selected speaking & media workEnvironmental justice & community health
Public testimony · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · June 28, 2023
I gave public hearing testimony about coal ash, environmental justice, and community health affecting Uniontown, Alabama. The transcript and reporting provide a record of that advocacy.
Read the transcript and reportingBlack women’s behavioral health.
My research and writing explore serious mental illness, mood and personality disorders, stigma and self-stigma, treatment experiences, Black maternal mental health, and culturally responsive care.
I study how people and institutions interpret Black women’s behavior and mental health concerns, and how those interpretations affect the care and decisions that follow. For example, a record that calls a woman “argumentative” may leave out what she said or what she was responding to. Later readers may rely on that label when making decisions about her care. I teach people to describe behavior clearly, identify whose account they are recording, and include the context needed to understand what happened.
Community leadership behind this work
Stepping into the next chapter.
Black women’s behavioral health is at the center of the career I am building. My longer-term direction includes independent psychotherapy, appropriately qualified forensic and correctional assessments, mediation, court consultation, potential expert witness work, and doctoral research.
I created and led Birmingham’s MLK Day of Service Feminine Hygiene Drive from 2021 through 2023. My experience also includes public leadership, housing and care navigation, survivor advocacy, and behavioral-health practice. The full professional record preserves that wider history.
WISE
Whole-Woman Integrated Support and Equity Across the Continuum of Care
Cerissa A. Brown, LBSW · Originator of WISE
I originated WISE to address ongoing, individualized whole-woman support centered on Black women’s mental and behavioral health. The work connects clinical care, physical health, practical needs, relationships, and community support through wellness and difficulty.
I created WISE as a contribution people can discuss, cite, teach, use, and build upon. It brings together research, lived experience, and ongoing whole-woman support centered on Black women. I continue to research how support can respond to a woman’s priorities throughout her life.
My developing books and educational resources are introduced on Reflections & Resources.
Bring a specific question.
Tell me who you want to reach, what they are facing, and what you want them to leave understanding.
Speaking and workshop engagements are paid. Please include your available budget with your inquiry.