ABOUT Dr. Sonya

Dr. Sonya L. Ford has a warm and passionate personality.  A dynamic and energetic public speaker, she is also a staunch advocate for the mental health and school counseling professions.  Dr. Sonya is an author, professor, counselor, and blogger; providing inspirational messages to all.

Dr. Sonya earned her undergraduate degree from Old Dominion University, Master of Science degree from The Johns Hopkins University, and Doctor of Education from the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University.  She holds two Certificates of Advanced Graduate Studies from The Johns Hopkins University in Clinical Community Counseling and Teaching in Higher Education.  She is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), National Certified School Counselor (NCSC), and Board Certified Telemental Health Counselor (BC-TMH).  

She has been a presenter, motivational speaker, and keynote speaker at a variety of local, state, national, and international educational workshops and conferences. She received the 2004 Maryland School Counselor Association Elementary School Counselor of the Year award and the 2014 Maryland School Counselor Association Middle School Counselor of the Year Award. Dr. Sonya was a Semi-finalist for the 2015 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) School Counselor of the Year Award and was honored at the White House by former First Lady, Michelle Obama. Dr. Sonya previously served on the Advisory Team for the National Office of School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA), the Advisory Council for the Bowie State University, College of Education, Department of Counseling, the Executive Board for the Maryland School Counselor Association (MSCA), the Executive Board for the Association for University and College Center Counseling Directors (AUCCCD), and was the Chairperson of the Charles County Commission for Women, where she hosted a local television talk show - W.E. (Women's Empowerment) Matters.  

Dr. Sonya is a member of several service and community organizations. Dr. Sonya is a Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of America, and a member (PMJF) of the Lions Club of Antigua. 

Dr. Sonya began her career in broadcasting in 1987.  She worked in radio as a traffic reporter, producer, and on-air personality for more than twenty years in the Washington, D.C. area. During her tenure in radio, Dr. Sonya was the first producer of the Tom Joyner Morning Show and the Steve Harvey Morning Show in the Washington D.C. area; hosted DC Sunday, a weekly radio program, on WHUR-FM; and co-hosted a nationally syndicated radio show entitled “Family Affair” on HUR Voices on Sirius/XM Channel 141.  In addition, she has done voice-over work and has been an “extra” in both television and film.  She has appeared on Washington, D.C. area talk shows as a guest therapist/expert on a variety of mental health related topics. In Antigua and Barbuda, she was a weekly guest expert for the  mental health segment on the Caribbean radio show, Touch Line, and co-hosted a local TV show, AUA Healthy Perspectives.

Having spent the majority of her life in service to others, Dr. Sonya continues to provide motivation and inspiration through her public speaking, community service, and writings - including blogs, poetry, and books.