![]() ![]() Fall activities remain in the planning stage.Īside from working at Sunshine Manor, Ofuani dedicates her time to helping those in the community as well. The Women’s Center along with the Counseling Center hosts events such as The Clothesline Project, Men Can Stop Rape workshops, and other events that educate on the prevalence of sexual abuse against women. “Once the opportunity was there, I immediately jumped on it because I was excited about what the grant stood for.” Ofuani said, “All of these topics are vital to our student population, because we are the most affected, but we are so poorly educated about them.”Ĭhildhood trauma and violence against women are critical problems that students on FAMU’s campus deal with on a daily basis. Since receiving her master’s degree, Ofuani no longer sees clients for counseling sessions.Īfter a grant requiring the Women’s Center to host seminars, activities, and forums on HIV/AIDS prevention and ending violence against women, was approved and received, Ofuani was presented with the opportunity to become coordinator for the Women’s Center, located in Sunshine Manor. I have visited Sunshine Manor, in hopes of gaining more knowledge about the counseling services available at FAMU” Carlos Doughty, 22, a 4th year psychology major “The counselors and staff were very inviting and helpful. “As an aspiring psychologist, I do believe the services available at Sunshine Manor are an essential resource for students on campus. Because of her dedication and compassionate personality, she became very popular, and clients began scheduling appointments weeks in advance. She started out seeing a couple clients a day and quickly increased to five clients per day. Ofuani became an employee of Sunshine Manor in October 2010. Coming here (Sunshine Manor) doesn’t qualify you as crazy.” “The barriers and stigmas that are associated with mental health, especially in the African American community, need to be broken down,” said Elizabeth Gray,24, graduate assistant at Sunshine Manor, “I encourage all students on campus to utilize our services. Sunshine Manor is also associated with Active Minds, an organization that focuses on mental health issues in African Americans. Each student is entitled to 12 free, one-hour sessions per semester. Sunshine Manor offers individual, group, and couples counseling, as well as psychiatric consultation. Sunshine Manor, located on FAMU’s campus, is home to the Office of Counseling Services. January 2010, Ofuani began an internship at Sunshine Manor. Starting this fall, Ofuani will pursue a Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of Georgia in Athens,Ga. She was recently honored for maintaining the highest GPA in her master’s program. In 2010, Ofuani received a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at FAMU. If he or she can do it, then there’s nothing you can’t figure out.” said Ofuani. We need these degrees because knowledge opens doors. It’s an investment directly to yourself and indirectly to the survival of our communities. “Knowledge is power! More African Americans need higher education degrees. “I was so intrigued by human behavior and the way our minds work,” Ofuani said “that I knew I was going to major in psychology once starting college.”Īside from helping others, Ofuani has received a master’s degree and plans to have her Ph.D in counseling before she turns 30.Īfter starting college at Florida A&M University in the fall 2004, Ofuani has dedicated the last seven years of her life to gaining more knowledge and experience in counseling. Ofuani, a Tallahassee native, became interested in psychology after taking an advanced placement course in high school. At age 25, Chika Ofunani, a former student counselor at Florida A&M University’s Sunshine Manor and the current Coordinator of FAMU’s Women’s Center, has obligated herself and time to bettering the community through her counseling and mentoring.
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