Dinner with a Therapist

“Dinner with a Therapist” is a FREE service that brings therapists to schools in the Philadelphia area, with the aim of addressing the lack of mental and emotional wellness support in our communities. A.H.W.A, through schools in local communities, hosts free dinners that are led by licensed therapists. Dinner is a 2 hr session, from 6pm-8pm, with dinner provided for by a family in the local community. Each session has a theme or topic of discussion. Topics range from “Dealing with incarcerated Family Members” ; “Understanding Trauma” ; “ Facing Addiction”, and other issues faced by our communities. A.H.W.A during sessions also provides childcare services, while the adults are in session, kids will have their own art and wellness space, provided by A.H.W.A.

  • Follow us on Instagram to keep up with the work and to see which schools we’ll be at

  • Schools that are interested in bringing our program to their campus, please send us an email of interest, we respond to all emails within 48hrs

Meet our Therapists

Vernick Smith

Cassandra Bolding

Vernick Smith is a Woman of faith who loves God and people! She is a proud mother of two beautiful daughters, Savannah and Sasha who inspire her each day to be better. Ms. Smith is a Licensed Behavior Specialist with nearly 20 years of experience in the field of mental health and behavioral services. Ms. Smith earned a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Saint Joseph’s University in 2010. Ms. Smith is trained in Trauma-Informed Care  and is passionate about breaking the cycles of generational trauma. Additionally, Ms. Smith is experienced in incorporating expressive arts to reshape trauma narratives promoting healing while helping others to find a new voice. Ms. Smith is also experienced in developing culturally-competent treatment programs for vulnerable populations. Ms. Smith was awarded the “Community of Hope Award” from Devereux in 2015 for developing a novel Expressive Arts Group therapy program that supported youth in their journey of healing from trauma. Ms. Smith is also a conference speaker that uses “Story-Telling” to de-stigmatize marginalized groups and promote community healing. Ms. Smith’s own journey through the valley of life’s traumas has ignited a zeal to aide in the healing journey of others who have been broken by life. Ms. Smith’s life motto is inspired by the late Dr. Maya Angelou, “When you learn teach. When you get give.”

Cassandra Bolding is a global thought leader on implementing community-based approaches to destigmatizing mental health, enhancing gender equality programming, and promoting trauma informed care. An experienced Program Director, she has facilitated the training of 700+ social service professionals on addiction prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, stress management, DEI, Nature Based Therapy, and co-occurring disorders. Her leadership philosophy has directly benefited 25+ staff members and 172 global clients. Cassandra’s entrepreneurial journey spans two decades and has led to international speaking, training, and consulting requests from corporate clients, international nonprofits, and gov’t regulatory agencies. Cassandra believes a community’s inherent strengths allow individual members to participate in their own rescue.