Cheri Gabrion Anderson

Cheri Gabrion is a clinical therapist and grief advocate with over 25 years of experience in mental health counseling since 1997. She is the Founder and CEO of Code of Many Colors Counseling Services, where she provides mental health counseling, oversees staff and students in licensing, and conducts speaking engagements, seeing about 20 clients weekly. She is also the Founder of Brown Girls Grieve, which she plans to make a nonprofit offering grief support and advocacy for women of color. Previously, she worked for the county in Maternal Infant Health, with responsibility for leading a team to decrease infant mortality, retiring in 2018. Gabrion earned her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 1997 and completed a 16-month Advanced Standing Program at the University of Michigan for her master's in social work and mental health. She holds a David Kessler Grief Certification and is an Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist. She is a member of First Fridays, a group of therapists in the Mid-Michigan area, and formerly with NASW. She attributes her success to God and the support of family and friends, and advises that the job is to empower people but not fix them, never working harder than the client.