Influential Woman · Non Profit Mental Health Agency

Dr. Allison Brownlee

Founder and Clinical Director, Stronger Together Community Services

San Diego, CA

4Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Doctorate in Couples and Family Therapy (2016) Degree Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy (2012) Cert Certified in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Cert Certified in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) as Therapist and Supervisor Member American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists Member California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists Member Clinical Fellow for the International Association for the Study of Attachment

Her Story

About Dr. Allison

I founded Stronger Together Community Services 6 years ago with a clear mission: to provide a space for people who generally don't have access to quality mental health care to find a place where they feel connected, seen, and heard. I am passionate about helping people heal from traumatic experiences in a way where they're really known and seen, that feels safe. The idea of connecting with other people and being able to help people not feel alone with what they're going through, that they have a safe place and a safe person to support them, was really important to me in coming into this field and becoming a therapist. With 13 years in the mental health field, I manage all daily operations, administrative and managerial tasks, while my primary focus is training and educating master's and doctoral level therapists, teaching them how to do therapy and helping them grow personally in the profession, building skills and confidence in themselves. We focus a lot on taking care of and empowering the therapists. I also maintain a clinical load, seeing individuals, couples, and families as their primary therapist, doing a lot of trauma work and couples therapy, with a commitment to helping underserved or underinsured community members get access to quality mental health care.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Dr. Allison

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to a lot of passion for providing safe spaces where people feel connected, seen, and heard, and a commitment to equitable mental health care. I also have a really strong work ethic, and I recognize that this job and this field comes with lots of challenges. Being able to find community and support to help me work through the challenges of being a leader has been really helpful in creating success.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I received was to invest in where you're passionate, even if it's hard, even if it's not something that's widely accepted or known, or maybe it's not what other people are doing. The quality of your life is really related to what you're doing on a daily basis, so find something that you're passionate about and invest in that.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I think something that is important is looking at relationships with other women as opportunities to connect, rather than areas of competition, and trying to build spaces where other women are included. Model that as a way to invite that into your life.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The financial barriers to getting quality mental health care is definitely a challenge in the field, one that we're trying to address. There's also a lot of stigma around mental health that we try to work with and help people understand that it's not a weakness to need help or support. The big challenges are access to care and helping people feel like it's okay to ask for help.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I think showing up authentically and being able to lead with vulnerability are most important to me. Modeling that it's okay to have a wide range of emotional experiences is crucial. Being able to accept other people where they're at, and also to be accepted in community, those things feel really important to me, both in my personal life and in my professional life.

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