A native of Chicago, who loves the sunny beaches of the  Mississippi Gulf Coast, Dr. Tanise McInnis, LCSW Ed.S., BC-TMH, CAS, is the owner and Chief Clinical Director of Empowering Minds Counseling and Consultant Services, LLC and D.O.P.E. DSW, LLC ™. She is a prominent psychotherapist, Board Certified Autism Specialist, Mississippi Board Approved Clinical Supervisor, higher education lecturer, podcaster, author, consultant, and community collaborator. With a career spanning twenty-seven years, Dr. McInnis has concentrated on social justice advocacy, mental health disparities, the care of medically fragile children, and combating the pervasive and mitigating the pervasive and deeply rooted systemic and institutional oppression imposed on marginalized communities. She achieves this by leveraging culturally responsive educational, leadership, and clinical practices within her personal and professional life.