Meet The Serenity Brand Team!
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - LPCC #15670
Meet Cheráe Roberson
Founder and CEO of The Serenity Brand
Clinical Director
Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Cheráe was introduced to the world of mental health at an early age through her mother, who worked at a neighborhood clinic. Watching the disparities in mental health access within her own community planted the seed for what would eventually become her life's work. Cheráe earned her BA in Modern Languages with a minor in Community Health from Georgia Southern University. After graduation, she spent a formative season in Atlanta working at a group home for young girls, serving as a kindergarten teacher's assistant, and running a small tutoring business, early experiences that deepened her passion for supporting others.
She later relocated to Los Angeles to serve with City Year, a national AmeriCorps program, an experience that inspired her to pursue a Master's degree in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. Today, Cheráe is a certified School Counselor and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC #15670) in the state of California. She specializes in trauma-informed care and community mental health, with clinical focus areas including Perinatal Mental Health (from fertility challenges through conception and postpartum), women entrepreneurs, and couples counseling.
As the founder of The Serenity Brand, Cheráe is committed to advancing community healing and supporting the mind, body, and soul. She offers a warm, judgment-free space where clients can speak openly, feel truly heard, and gain practical tools to navigate anxiety, stress, life transitions, and beyond. When she is not serving her community, Cheráe enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, traveling, and enjoying live music.
If you are having a mental health crisis or struggling with suicidal ideation, please dial or text 988lifeline.org
Associate Social Worker - ASW #97993
Meet Crystal Lawrence
Associate Social Worker
Crystal Lawrence is a dedicated therapist who creates safe, supportive spaces for healing and growth. With a Master’s in Social Work and a background in community-based care, she brings a trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens to her work that honors each client’s unique experiences and strengths.
Her approach is relational, collaborative, and rooted in empathy. Crystal supports clients navigating life transitions, identity exploration, anxiety, depression, and the lasting impact of trauma.
Crystal believes healing happens through authenticity. Her goal is to help clients build self-awareness, resilience, and self-trust by reconnecting with their own inner wisdom.
If you are having a mental health crisis or struggling with suicidal ideation, please dial or text 988lifeline.org
Clinical Supervisor & LMFT
Meet Eka S. Childs
Clinical Supervisor & Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Eka S. Childs is a trauma-informed therapist who supports clients working through past traumas and difficult life experiences with the goal of rebuilding confidence and emotional resilience. She begins by helping clients recognize their unique strengths, using them as a foundation to develop personalized coping strategies.
Eka takes an eclectic and client-centered approach to therapy, meeting each individual where they are. She serves as both a supportive guide and an affirming presence, always showing up with empathy, authenticity, and a non-judgmental attitude. She especially enjoys working with first-time therapy seekers.
With experience supporting adults, youth, and families from marginalized and institutional backgrounds, Eka is committed to reducing stigma around mental health. She is a passionate advocate for emotional wellbeing and mental health awareness, particularly within communities of color.
If you are having a mental health crisis or struggling with suicidal ideation, please dial or text 988lifeline.org
Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC #21725)
Meet Briana Thomas
Associate Professional Clinical Therapist
Briana Thomas is a compassionate therapist dedicated to creating inclusive, affirming spaces where clients feel truly seen and supported. A graduate of Capella University with a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and rooted in her undergraduate foundation at the University of Central Florida, Briana brings both academic depth and genuine heart to her clinical work. She is a registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC #21725) in California.
Briana specializes in community-based mental health, working with couples, adolescents, and young adults navigating life transitions, identity, and emotional wellbeing. She is especially passionate about empowering Black communities, showing up with cultural humility and a deep commitment to equity in care. Her therapeutic style is collaborative and strength-based, drawing from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to meet each client exactly where they are.
Whether you are navigating a major life shift, working through relational challenges, or simply ready to invest in yourself, Briana believes that healing is not one-size-fits-all and she is here to walk alongside you on your journey toward clarity, connection, and growth.
If you are having a mental health crisis or struggling with suicidal ideation, please dial or text 988lifeline.org
Meet John Roberson
Chief Strategic Growth Officer
John Roberson, III (JR) is a strategic growth leader and systems builder dedicated to equity-driven solutions that expand access to healing and opportunity. As Chief Strategic Growth Officer at The Serenity Brand, he leads organizational strategy, partnerships, business development, and operational growth in support of the organization's culturally responsive, trauma-informed mental health mission.
JR brings deep expertise in cross-sector partnership cultivation, workforce development, and community-based programming, with a particular focus on historically marginalized and justice-impacted populations throughout California. His background spans fair chance hiring, apprenticeship development, employer engagement, and AI-powered strategies across nonprofit, public, and private sector spaces.
He holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Southern California and a BA in Environmental Science from Emory University. Outside of work, JR is a fitness enthusiast, Lego builder (@InnerHeroBricks), and YouTube gaming creator (@InnerHeroGaming).
Meet Oyira Akwa
Administrative & Billing Specialist
Oyira Akwa is a revenue cycle specialist with more than ten years of experience in behavioral, medical, and public health financial management. Her foundation in medicine began at the bench, first as a pathology laboratory technician and then as a medical transcriptionist, where she learned how closely documentation and patient care are connected. That understanding led her to study the revenue cycle in full, from a client's first point of contact through final reimbursement. She is an AAPC Certified Coder.
Throughout her career, Oyira has partnered with community behavioral health clinics, in vitro fertilization clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers to build billing practices that are accurate, compliant, and sustainable. She currently specializes in documentation integrity and compliance for California Correctional Health Services, work that calls for precision and a steady respect for the people behind every record.
Her role sits at the intersection of patient care, provider reimbursement, and insurance claim processing. Oyira sees billing as part of access. When the financial side of care runs smoothly, clients can stay focused on healing and clinicians can stay focused on the work in front of them. That is the standard she brings to The Serenity Brand.
Meet Jhavia Benjamin
ASW, MSW, MA
Jhavia Benjamin is a dedicated therapist with a passion for providing holistic care to marginalized people, especially those who typically do not have access to comprehensive mental health services. Jhavia's educational background includes a Master of Social Work, a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling, and professional certification in Addiction Counseling. She has worked with a wide range of clients, including transitional aged youth (TAY), older adults, formerly incarcerated individuals, families with DCFS involvement, LGBTQIA+ youth and adults, immigrants and undocumented individuals, and persons with physical and/or developmental disabilities.
Jhavia uses an integrative therapeutic approach, drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), as well as mindfulness practices, meditation, rehabilitative frameworks, and somatic exercises. She has engaged in grassroots social justice work on issues that impact the clients she serves, and has lived experience with the intersections of multiple marginalized identities. Because of this, she is able to empathize with clients and be a resource to them. Her professional, academic, and personal experiences have equipped her for this work, and she enjoys it immensely.
When Jhavia is not working, she enjoys reading, listening to music, going to the beach, and spending time with loved ones. And since she is originally from Atlanta, don't be surprised if you hear a little southern twang during your time with her.
Meet Raul Benitez
ACSW
Raul Benitez is Associate Clinical Social Worker currently working with Families Uniting Families- Project Fatherhood and The Serenity Brand. A native of Northeast Los Angeles, Raul brings a unique perspective to his role, deeply influenced by his background and time as a U.S. Navy sailor.
Raul has an extensive background in forensic social work, psychiatric social work at La Casa Psychiatric Health facility, and providing individual therapeutic services with Innovative Wellness Consulting in Pasadena, Ca. Raul’s work is driven by a commitment to supporting vulnerable populations, and changing cycles of trauma that impact our communities.
He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from California State University, Long Beach. Raul’s dedication to serving individuals and families underscores his impactful contributions to the communities he serves.
Meet Micah Smith
ASW, MSW
Welcome! My name is Micah Smith. I hold a Master’s in Social Work and am an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW) with a background in Individual Therapy and Case Management services. I’ve primarily worked with adolescents within the Los Angeles Unified School District. During my time as a Clinical Therapist, I’ve worked with clients with specific IEPs for disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. As a PSA Counselor, I’ve worked with youth from diverse groups within African American and Latin American communities.
I utilized effective strategies that helped my clients build their agency, be better motivated, and encourage my clients to play an active role in their own healing, education and everyday life. These strategies involve therapeutic techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Problem Solving Therapy (PST) and Mindfulness exercises.
I firmly believe my clients are entitled to their rights and dignity as human beings. My goal is to provide a safe and supportive space for my clients: one where they can learn more about themselves, grow as individuals and become an active part within their healing process. I meet my clients where they are at and make adjustments to best accommodate their immediate needs.
My approach to therapy is based strongly on empathy, built on trust, collaborative, and aimed to help clients reclaim agency within their own healing. Most importantly, I strongly believe in being a therapist that is with and for others.
Supervised by Eka Childs-McTear, LMFT #137410.
Similar to the philosophy of my alma mater: Verbum Dei High School, I believe in being a man with and for others. As part of the Serenity Brand and Safe Space Project, I aim to give back to the community that shaped me into the person I am today.
Coming soon
Oyira’s information will be available soon.