Close-up of large monstera leaves with a plain white background.

Meet Ayanna

A woman with long dark hair and glasses looks directly at the camera, sitting in a room with a bookshelf filled with books. There is a framed colorful artwork of a building and tree on the wall behind her, and a potted plant is visible in the corner.

A little more about me…

Outside of the therapy room, I enjoy spending time in nature, getting lost in a good fiction novel, or books and podcasts on culture and human psychology. I share life with my partner of 14-years and our sweet boy, Buddy, an 8-year-old Aussie mix who we adopted when he was 3.

My path to becoming a therapist wasn’t a straight line. Before pursuing psychology, I studied audio engineering and played guitar in a punk band, but over time, I felt drawn toward a deeper passion for understanding people and the role of trauma and attachment in shaping who we become. That curiosity led me here, where my passion continues to grow.

I’m continually expanding my understanding of attachment, Internal Family Systems (IFS), relational neuroscience, parts and inner child work, depth and shadow work, and the ways ancestral experiences and trauma shape us across generations. For me, learning is an ongoing process, both personally and professionally.

Hey there! I’m Ayanna - a Licensed Mental Health Counselor based in Brooklyn, NY, and I’m glad you’re here.

My path as a therapist has been shaped by my work with children, youth, and families, as well as my continued learning and lived experiences. Working with younger populations in the foster care system early in my career, taught me to look beyond what we see on the surface and consider the many experiences, relationships, and circumstances that shape a person’s world. That perspective continues to inform my work with adults, where I strive to meet each person with curiosity and an appreciation for the complexity of their story.

I take an integrative approach to therapy, drawing from different therapeutic frameworks to support each person’s unique needs. I’m less interested in finding a one-size-fits-all solution and more interested in understanding you as a whole person. I see therapy as a collaborative process, not one where I provide all the answers, but one where we can explore, process, reflect, and find our way forward together.

I also know that being human means we’re all a work in progress. My own lived experiences have influenced how I understand growth and formative transitional periods, relationships, and the importance of approaching ourselves with compassion. I don’t believe being a therapist means having everything figured out; rather, it means a lifelong commitment to learning.

It’s important to me that our work feels like a space where you can show up honestly. You bring your lived experiences, and I bring my clinical training and perspective. Together, we can work toward a deeper understanding of what matters to you and the vision of what you want your life to look like going forward.

Education & Training

  • International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, 2026, Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Essentials

  • EMDR Consulting, 2024, EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) Therapy

  • Trauma Research Foundation, 2023, Certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies

  • Polyvagal Institute, 2023, Felt Sense Polyvagal Model: A Certificate for Treating Trauma and Addiction

  • Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents, 2022, Certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC): 011973

  • National Certified Counselor (NCC): 1094955

  • St. John’s University, 2019, M.S.Ed Clinical Mental Health Counseling

  • St. John’s University, 2017, B.A. Psychology

Sunlight streams through tall trees in a misty forest, creating rays of light in black and white.

What I Often Help With

Many of the people I work with are high-functioning on the outside — capable, accomplished, dependable — while quietly carrying more than it looks like. Often, that shows up as:

  • A nervous system that stays braced, even when things are objectively okay

  • Difficulty resting, slowing down, or feeling truly present

  • Shame or a persistent sense of not being "enough," despite evidence to the contrary

  • Numbness, disconnection, or difficulty naming what you feel

  • Anxiety or low mood that doesn't seem tied to any one clear cause

  • Big life transitions that are stirring up old, familiar feelings

  • Family-of-origin dynamics that still shape how you move through the world

  • A sense of being stuck, even after doing meaningful work in therapy before

Together, we work to understand how these patterns took root, build a felt sense of safety in your body and mind, and create change that lasts.

Book an Intake

  • "Ayanna Obando is one of the most caring health care professionals I have ever received help from. Each visit we have benefits me in every way needed and I truly look forward to each one of our sessions. She is brilliant at what she does!"

    Client Review

  • "Ayanna creates a very safe and compassionate environment for her patients. I am incredibly grateful for the amount of grace Ayanna has shown me during our sessions together but also being able to learn from her example and offer myself that same kind of grace. I think therapy has been a very necessary part of my own emotional growth and I very much appreciate the support and kindness Ayanna has offered me throughout my journey. I would highly recommend Ayanna if you are also looking to process emotionally challenging things and are looking to learn more about your own mental health."

    Client Review

  • "Ayanna is very attentive and compassionate. I sometimes have a hard time opening up and she is patient and has helped me open up about things that are hard to talk about. I highly recommend her as a therapist and feel lucky to have found her after a few failed attempts at therapy."

    Client Review

  • "Ayanna is truly wonderful. She is an excellent listener, she asks questions that challenge my thought processes, and she seems to really care for my well-being! I appreciate having found such an amazing therapist."

    Client Review

  • "I really connected with this provider. I have been able to work through a lot of things as she’s made me feel safe and comfortable during our sessions."

    Client Review