Maysa Akbar
Dr. Maysa Akbar received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Saint Louis University in 2003. She completed her pre-and-post doctoral work at the Yale Child Study Center, School of Medicine. She is a Board Certified Child and Adolescent Psychologist and holds a number of certifications in various areas of treatment. Over her 15 years of clinical experience Dr. Akbar has developed a specialty in trauma, focusing on at-risk children and adolescents. She has a great passion for reaching and treating underserved populations, particularly minorities and at-risk, juvenile justice involved youth. Her work with these populations requires advanced knowledge and competence in multicultural counseling. Dr. Akbar uses her multicultural counseling competencies as a foundation to TF-CBT treatment, allowing the process to be collaborative and inherently respectful, with parent engagement and expertise encouraged.
Dr. Akbar’s interest in diversity, multicultural competence, and minority mental health led her to the West Indies to receive international training at the University of West Indies and the University of the West Indies Hospital in Jamaica. During her minority international research training Dr. Akbar developed assessment tools to measure the self-esteem, stress, and trauma symptoms in children and adolescents. She also performed psychological evaluations for children referred to the psychiatric in-patient ward at the University of the West Indies Hospital where she collaborated with a multidisciplinary team of professionals to diagnose and provide culturally competent counseling to children and families in crisis.
Dr. Maysa Akbar is the Founder and Executive Director of Integrated Wellness Group (IWG), a diverse, multidisciplinary psychotherapy practice established in New Haven, Connecticut. Since its inception in 2008, IWG has grown to be one of the largest for-profit mental health service providers in the northern Connecticut region. IWG services are multifaceted, targeting multiple areas of intervention for children, families, schools, businesses and the community. With Dr. Akbar’s leadership IWG has developed into one of the most innovative and dynamic outpatient clinics, servicing both private and public sector consumers. Dr. Akbar’s comprehensive growth strategies, coupled with IWG’s financial success has lead to unprecedented success in the area of mental health and it has claimed its leadership position among the top treatment providers in Connecticut.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Akbar’s background includes over 15 years of experience as a Research Associate engaging in a variety of cutting edge research and training endeavors. She has been published in a variety of professional journals including Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, The Western Journal of Black Studies, the Journal of Black Psychology, and most recently Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Additionally, Dr. Akbar is a featured writer in the Boston area bilingual magazine Salud y Familia (Health and Family). She is frequently asked to speak at community events such as Parent University in addition to conducting formal trainings at institutions such as the University of Saint Joseph. She is an Adjunct Professor at Yale University, where she teaches Child and Adolescent Development to Pediatric Dentistry fellows. Dr. Akbar is well respected for her exceptional achievement in Psychology and business. She has been recognized by Who’s Who in America and was awarded the Alumni Merit Award from Saint Louis University. She is also a fellow at the Community Leadership Program, a leadership development organization focused on connecting leaders to transform communities. Due to her passion for working with the Latino community and other underserved minorities, Dr. Akbar recently became a top 20 finalist for the 2014 Hispanicize Positive Impact Award. This award recognizes outstanding Latinos who do remarkable deeds for their communities.
Dr. Akbar is sought out by international, state, local and private organizations to develop and devise unique programming that is individually tailored to fit the needs of the prospective organizations. These services span from developing innovative programming to creating sustainable business structures in the health field. Most recently, Dr. Akbar has developed collaborative relationships with Head Start and the Department of Children and Families. She continues to partner with pediatric offices throughout the state to create Patient-Centered Medical Homes, an innovative initiative aimed at improving primary care. Further, her work currently extends to providing comprehensive Diversity Training to the faculty and staff of various agencies, organizations, corporations and universities.
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