About Us

Brenda Santos

 PhD Student, MBA, LPC, LCADC, CCS, ACS, NCC, EMDR-Trained
Co-Founder | Behavioral Health Operations & Clinical Strategy Consultant

Licensed in New Jersey, New York, and Florida

Brenda Santos is a behavioral health consultant and organizational leader specializing in clinical program development, trauma-informed systems, and operational excellence within behavioral health organizations. As Co-Founder of Grace & Healing LLC, she partners with organizations to strengthen clinical programming, regulatory compliance, and leadership capacity while ensuring services remain both ethically grounded and operationally sustainable.

Brenda is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor with nearly a decade of experience in behavioral health, and she is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Psychology. Her work integrates clinical expertise with business and operational strategy, allowing organizations to build programs that are both clinically sound and scalable.

Brenda’s clinical background includes extensive work in trauma, substance use disorders, anxiety, and depression across adolescent and adult populations. Her advanced certifications—including Clinical Certified Supervisor (CCS), Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), and National Certified Counselor (NCC)—reflect her deep experience in clinician supervision, workforce development, and program quality improvement.

Her training in EMDR and other evidence-based therapeutic approaches informs her ability to guide organizations in implementing trauma-informed, client-centered care models.

Brenda works with behavioral health organizations to bridge the gap between clinical excellence and operational sustainability. Her consulting approach focuses on strengthening clinical infrastructure, developing high-quality programs, and supporting leadership teams in building resilient, mission-driven organizations.

She is known for combining strategic insight with practical implementation, helping organizations translate best practices into real-world systems that support both staff and clients.

• Behavioral health program development and expansion
   
• Clinical operations strategy and program oversight
   
• Regulatory compliance, licensing, and accreditation readiness
   
• Clinical supervision systems and workforce development
   
• Trauma-informed organizational design
   
• Perinatal, adolescent, and family-centered behavioral health programming
   
• Faith-integrated and culturally responsive care models
   

Colleagues describe Brenda as a dynamic and thoughtful leader who brings both strategic clarity and compassion to her work. She is widely respected for her ability to guide organizations toward meaningful growth while maintaining a strong commitment to ethical, client-centered care.

Clarissa Attara, PhD, Co-founder

Behavioral Health Consultant

Dr. Attara is a nationally recognized trauma specialist and behavioral health consultant whose work focuses on trauma recovery, addiction treatment, grief, and LGBTQ+ affirming care across adolescent and adult populations. As Co-Owner and Chief Clinical Officer of Grace & Healing LLC, she provides clinical leadership and consulting to organizations seeking to strengthen trauma-informed systems, expand culturally responsive care, and integrate evidence-based treatment models into behavioral health programming.

Her work centers on the belief that effective behavioral health systems must address both the psychological and physiological impacts of trauma, integrating mind-body approaches into treatment design, clinician training, and program development.

Dr. Attara is trained in several leading trauma-processing modalities, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR). She is an EMDR Consultant-in-Training and provides guidance to clinicians and organizations implementing trauma-informed care models. She is also trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) and is actively pursuing certification in this evidence-based approach designed to strengthen relational bonds and repair attachment disruptions.

Her integrative framework draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), attachment theory, mindfulness practices, and poly-systemic approaches. This breadth of training informs her consulting work with clinical teams, helping organizations implement treatment models that support both emotional processing and nervous system regulation.

Dr. Attara partners with behavioral health organizations, clinical leaders, and training programs to enhance trauma-informed clinical practices and develop high-quality behavioral health services. Her consulting work supports organizations in building treatment frameworks that are evidence-based, inclusive, and responsive to the complex needs of diverse populations.

She is particularly recognized for her expertise in working with high-complexity trauma, addiction recovery systems, and LGBTQ+ affirming clinical environments, helping organizations create programming that promotes safety, identity integration, and sustainable recovery.

• Trauma-informed program design and implementation
   
• EMDR-informed clinical training and consultation
   
• Addiction recovery and relapse-prevention treatment frameworks
   
• LGBTQ+ affirming behavioral health programming
   
• Adolescent and family behavioral health services
   
• Couples and relational therapy program development
   
• Attachment-informed clinical approaches
   
• Clinician training, supervision systems, and professional development
   
• Integrating mind-body approaches into behavioral health care
   

Dr. Attara is widely respected for her ability to combine deep clinical expertise with thoughtful leadership and education. Colleagues and trainees describe her as a compassionate and insightful clinician-educator who creates psychologically safe environments for both clients and professionals to engage in meaningful growth.

Dr. Attara’s work is grounded in the understanding that trauma is stored not only in memory but within the body’s physiological systems. Her approach emphasizes creating clinical environments where individuals and organizations alike can address these deeper patterns and foster lasting transformation.