Dr. Sims began her academic journey at Southern University before transferring to SVSU, where she continued her passion for serving others. Her personal experiences—witnessing her mother’s resilience in the face of mental health challenges and enduring the devastating loss of my infant son to SIDS—have profoundly shaped her commitment to helping individuals and families find healing, hope, and purpose.

As the founder and Executive Officer of You Be the Change Behavioral Health, I dedicate myself to meeting the needs of others with empathy, integrity, and confidentiality, always striving to understand and meet people exactly where they are. Guided by my favorite quote, “When they go low, you go high” by Michelle Obama, I live and work with the firm belief that every one of us is born with purpose.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of serving as an Adjunct Professor in the Social Work Department at Saginaw Valley State University and as a Teacher Fellow at Tulane University.

In my clinical work, I specialize in providing individual, group, and family therapy for clients of all ages, addressing mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD through strengths-based, culturally sensitive interventions. I remain deeply committed to advancing the field of mental health through clinical excellence, research, education, program development, and community advocacy.

Above all, I see my work as a calling—to be a voice for the voiceless, a source of strength for those in need, and a catalyst for hope and transformation in every life I touch.

Hope for all.

Dr. Tonya D. Sims. DSW, MSW, LMSW-C