Out of the Box Counseling, Coaching, & Consulting

About Out of the Box Counseling, Coaching, & Consulting

Out of the Box, Counseling, Coaching, and Consulting was founded in 2018 by Dr. Bertrina Olivia West Al-Mahdi Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a Doctorate Degree in International Psychology, as an entity of ToGetHer Empowered, Inc. a not-for-profit 501(c) organization established in 2016. OOTB is a group practice that believes in stepping away from the westernized approach to therapy replacing it with an International-Worldview approach, where we incorporate every aspect of a client's culture and sub-culture into developing individualized plans to meet the client's unique needs. Our team consists of licensed psychologists, counselors, social workers, psychiatric nurse practitioners,  case managers, coaches, and consultants of various ethnicities, ages, genders, abilities and disabilities, sexual orientations, education levels, and socioeconomic status. Our mission is to have an organization that meets the unique cultural differences of the communities we serve. When clients visit our website or come into our office we want them to feel accepted, represented, seen, and heard.  We believe in breaking barriers, bridging gaps, and removing stigmatizations surrounding therapy by providing optimal and effective services mental health to individuals, families, couples, children, adolescents, geriatric populations,  businesses, and organizations in Metro Atlanta despite race, creed, color, sexual identity or orientation,  access, affordability, language, ability or disability.

 We take a holistic approach to therapy because of our belief that therapy is not just about “fixing the mind”, but understanding the relationship between our physical health, personal affairs, and mental well-being. Thus, we use a balanced technique of incorporating wellness and harmony in your mind, body, and personal affairs, by including various coaching and consulting services within our practice.

 Working with one of our skilled professionals is a collaborative effort. We believe in the importance of partnership and creating treatment plans to meet your personal, professional, and/or business goals. We understand that not everyone is familiar with therapy, or on the same level of recovery, so we do not conform to traditional counseling, coaching, and consulting practices instead, we believe in stepping Outside of the Box of traditional “talk” therapy, “follow me” coaching, or “listen to me” consulting, taking a unique and fresh, client-centered, “Meet me where I am” perspective, doing whatever it takes to meet the unique and individualized needs of our clients. 

Our founder Dr. Bertrina Olivia West Al-Mahdi, most affectionately called Dr. O, is a U. S. Navy veteran, Licensed Professional Counselor, Coach, Trauma, Diversity & Inclusion consultant, and a Human, Social, and Civil Rights Advocate and Activist, with a Doctoral Degree in International Psychology, who specializes in the area of trauma recovery. She has dedicated her career to helping individuals, families, couples, adolescents, and children facing emotional, cognitive, and social challenges. Some of these challenges may include family or individual crisis, trauma, death, loss, or divorce, depression, anxiety, abuse, ADHD, behavioral issues,  addiction, or complex mental health disorders. 

Dr. O received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology in 2011. Following her Master's degree, she obtained her Doctoral degree in International Psychology with a concentration in Trauma to incorporate her passion for human and civil rights equality with her love of psychology to bridge the gap between western and international philosophies on mental health treatment. 

Dr. O takes a Global approach to treatment because she believes in the importance of incorporating a persons’ culture, belief system, and values into providing treatment and therapy. Dr. O has traveled the world studying international populations and the impact of trauma. Her mission was to gain an understanding of how cultural values and beliefs impact the treatment of diverse populations. Dr. O's approach is to not provide a cookie-cutter form of westernized treatment diluted with words and concepts to make her culturally competent. However, immersing herself in various cultures to learn about each ethnic group, culture, and sub-culture so that she can provide the most informed and effective treatment to her clients. 

In addition to taking a Global approach, Dr. O also conceptualizes her treatment planning through a trauma lens. Studies show that over 70% of the US population have or will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime! When most people think about trauma, they’re usually visualizing complex trauma (war, assault, abuse, death, etc.). However, trauma is simply STRESS. Trauma occurs when stress becomes so overwhelming that it affects your daily functioning. Effects of trauma can be depicted as depression/sadness, anxiety, anger, fear, exhaustion, personality or mood disorders, eating disorders, relationship problems, sexual dysfunction, etc.  

With over 10 years of experience in the field, Dr. O has shared her expertise in psychology, trauma, and diversity-related issues by proving supervision, educational seminars, workshops, and training, content expert, and motivational speaker. Some topics include Understanding and Coping with Trauma as a Trauma Worker: Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Burnout; Coping with and Understanding Traumatic Experiences Including Posttraumatic Stress, Sexual Abuse, Physical/Domestic Abuse, Death and Divorce, Natural Disaster, International Trauma, and War and Conflict; as well as conducting diversity workshops, seminars, and presentations on how to address diversity, inclusion, and discrimination issues and resolve D&I related problems in the workplace, cultural competency, raising awareness and understanding of diversity, inclusion, and discrimination, colorism, religion, and effective communication with diverse populations.

Dr. O believes in taking a holistic approach to therapy, where she incorporates an equal balance of wellness and harmony in your mind, body, and personal affairs. Thus, in addition to her therapy practices, she also offers health, wellness, and business coaching services. Some may call her approach to counseling, coaching, and consulting unorthodox, as she steps away from traditional methodologies and ways of thinking. However, she truly believes in partnering with each individual client as we step Outside of the Box and into our future.   

Dr. O is very passionate about supporting individuals, couples, families, children, adolescents, organizations, and communities throughout all of life’s transitions and challenges, as well as advocating for equality across nations. Her compassionate demeanor is, undoubtedly, impacted by her own multicultural background, traumatic experiences, and exposures.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, traveling, writing poetry, dancing, and working out.