Dr. Ayo Maria Gooden, PH.D

PSYCHOLOGIST

Ayo” means “joy” in the West African Yoruba language.  Dr. Ayo is the first in her family to earn a college degree.  She earned her BA in psychology from The Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and earned her MA and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Ayo is in full-time private practice as a licensed psychologist.  She is also a Board Certified African Centered/Black Psychologist, Diplomate and Fellow.  Dr. Ayo is a former university professor and administrator and has worked in the mental health field for over 45 years.  

Dr. Ayo is the author of the book, A Single Bracelet Does Not Jingle: Finding Your Ideal Love Partner, Making Love Last and Ending Unhealthy Relationships: A Multi-Racial Examination of Love Relationships, www.etheoryal.com.

To Protect and Empower: Unionism in Higher Education, Proceedings of APSCUF/PSE Conference on Labor in Higher Education.  Harrisburg, PA.  October 15-17, 2009.

Suicide, Attempted Suicide, and Parasuicide Among Afrikan-Americans, Act 101 Journal, May 2001, Vol. 8, Issue 1, pp. 7-11.

Does Milk do a Body Good?, Health is Wealth, Vol. 1, No. 2, Spring 1999, pp 1-2, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.

African Americans, European Americans, and Pathological Stereotypes: An African-Centered Perspective. Williams, M. T., Gooden, A. M., & Davis, D. (to appear). In Psychology of Culture, G. R. Hayes & M. H. Bryant, eds., Nova Science Publishers. ISBN-13: 978-1-62257-274-8.

Examples of some available topics include:

*Finding the ideal love partner

*Ending unhealthy relationships/divorce/relationship recovery

*How to make love last

*Depression, suicide and other mental health issues

*Contributions of Blacks to world civilizations

*Cultural awareness, sensitivity and competency identifying and countering implicit bias

micro-aggressions and racism

*Nurturing the genius in your child

*Retention strategies: How to set and achieve goals

*Stress/Time management

*Picking a career

*How to start your own business and build a Black community