I’m Tanashati Nyanda Akambi (she/they), a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA, P019513) and Trauma and Relationship therapist serving North Carolina. Some of my social locations include being a Black, queer, ciswoman with experiences with the child welfare system and practicing consensual nonmonogamy. I have over a decade of experience with my own therapy and consistently maintain my own healing and self discovery as my top priority. Through Anyanwu’s Garden, PLLC, I offer embodied and dynamic healing partnership through psychotherapy services to adult individuals and via telehealth.

My clinical interests include trauma; codependency and boundaries; stress; relationships and communication; sexuality; gender; and other identity exploration. More concretely, this might mean helping one develop deeper connections with friends and intimate partners, learning how to process feelings of shame resulting from harm done to or by someone, or exploring self-expression within and outside of dominant social expectations. I am deeply passionate about creating and maintaining a space for people to align with their most authentic selves, especially while navigating the often accompanying grief that can come from unwanted loss, as well as celebrating the empowerment that we are sure to find along the way.

The therapeutic relationship I build with clients is at the heart of our work. Connecting past experiences, when relevant, to present actions and patterns is crucial for gaining insight, understanding, and fostering positive change in therapeutic goals. As a Clinical Social Worker, I also help bridge what's happening in the therapy room with broader societal contexts and center the spirit of equity and liberation. Recognizing that our challenges aren't isolated and unique but fundamentally apart of a collective experience can provide healing validation.

In the U.S. and the broader 'West,' this shift in thinking can be challenging, but it's worth noting that different cultures across time and space view these matters differently and produce vastly different solutions and understandings. We can use these diverse perspectives to explore narratives and orientations that feel most liberating to you.

My formal education includes a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) with a specialization in Health, Mental Health, and Disabilities from Columbia University. I also have a background in Literature with an MPhil from Trinity College Dublin and a BA from San Francisco State University. My literature education informs my therapeutic practice by emphasizing the importance of narratives, language, and their impact on self and identity. Prior to my career in mental health, I trained as a full spectrum doula with Sumi’s Touch and spent time supporting families from pregnancy well into postpartum. Further, I have training in EMDR from the Center of Excellence in EMDR Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Social Skills Training, and CBT from the Durham VA Healthcare System (DVAHCS), Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy from ICEEFT, and several areas of focus listed below.

Anyanwu's Garden is named after Octavia Butler's Wild Seed, a novel that to me intersects with art and healing. The 'love ethic' framework from bell hooks' book deeply influences this practice. Toni Morrison's, Alice Walker’s, James Baldwin’s, and Audre Lorde’s teachings have only ever freed me.

I am supervised by Susan Heather Branham (C009039), a who has over 10 years of psychotherapy experience and I am looking forward to working with and supporting you in this part of your journey.


Selected Trainings

Neurodiversity and Gender Diversity, DVAHCS

Black Women’s Mental Health: Strengths, Vulnerabilities, and Implications for Clinical Practice, DVAHCS

Addressing Difficult Conversations: Death, Dying, Grief & Bereavement DVAHCS

Addressing Disparities in Access to SUD Care, DVAHCS

Addressing Low Sexual Desire in Rural Women Veterans, DVAHCS

Understanding the Clinical Impacts of Cannabis, DVAHCS

Sexual Health, DVAHCS

Whole Health and Military Sexual Trauma, DVAHCS

Ethical Considerations in Assessing and Treating Moral Injury with Veterans, DVAHCS

MDMA Therapy for PTSD Treatment: Updates and Considerations for Survivors of MST, DVAHCS

Community Inclusion is a Medical Necessity, DVAHCS

The Integration of Sleep and Mental Health Treatment, DVAHCS