The Team

Therapist, Black Therapist, Black Woman, Black Woman Therapist

Barbara E. Neal, M.Ed, LMFT

Founder & CEO

Barbara is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) committed to supporting the mental and relational health of Black Mothers and their families in New Jersey. She brings with her a unique blend of educational and non-profit leadership experience in addition to her clinical experience as an LMFT. She is committed to working collaboratively with Black Moms to empower them in utilizing their strengths to help them live a more fulfilling lives. Through high-quality, culturally relevant therapy, Barbara works to create a space of healing that will support Black Moms in learning practical skills to help them improve the quality of their lives and to support them as they navigate Black womanhood, motherhood, relationships, career, and beyond.

Barbara is a proud graduate of Howard University and former fellow of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy's Now Is The Time: Minority Fellowship Program-Youth (AAMFT-MFP-Y). In addition to leading Therapy For Black Moms, Barbara is also on the teaching faculty at Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York.

Justine Asante, LMFT

Justine is a passionate Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist dedicated to working with individuals, couples, and families toward a happier and healthier way of living and experiencing relationships. She grounds her work in a multicultural perspective that focuses on the whole person in terms of one’s family of origin, gender, racial/ ethnic identity, religion, morals, and principles to delicately explore self and relation to others. Through this exploratory work, she helps clients work through various challenges such as trauma, stress, anxiety, identity, grief/loss etc. She also helps clients build their toolkits to navigate interpersonal relationships through premarital counseling, couples counseling, and family counseling.

She is committed to embarking on a journey to a happier you by supporting, empowering, and encouraging your innate ability to grow, adapt, change, and overcome challenging circumstances. Together, she will work with you towards a set of goals to gain insight and transform your life.

Debra Adamczyk, LMFT

Debra is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Addictions specialist she is committed to supporting the mental and relational health of Black Mothers and their families in New Jersey. As a United States Air Force veteran, Debra is a passionate advocate for mental health and wellness, dedicated to helping individuals and families to cultivate inner peace and resilience. With a background in psychology and extensive training in evidence practices, she empowers people to embark on transformative journeys toward mental clarity and emotional balance.

Drawing from her own experiences navigating through personal struggles, Debra brings empathy, authenticity, and understanding to her work. She firmly believes that every individual has the capacity to heal and thrive, given the right support and guidance. Through her compassionate coaching and mentoring, Debra guides her clients in uncovering their inner strengths and developing practical strategies to overcome challenges.

Debra is a proud graduate of The College of New Jersey and an approved American Associate of Marriage and Therapy Supervisor. She developed and published “Working with Veterans and Military Families” for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family.

Partner Therapist

Gwendolyn Hinton, M.Div., M.S., MHC, PhD Candidate

Gwen is a compassionate, trained, highly educated and experienced N.J. Board Certified Pastoral/Mental Health Counselor. She has completed academic works at Kean University, B.S in Psychology, M.S. in Mental Health Counseling. M.Div., in Divinity and is a candidate for her PhD in the Philosophy of Education with a concentration in teaching and writing curriculum.

Her counseling methods are impacted by her spiritual guidance from a faith-based perspective, which she collaborates with a unique form of psychotherapy and psychoeducation. Gwen’s psychological understanding is inclusive of spiritual resources which has helped her develop a successful basis for promoting individual, family and couple(s) healing and growth, Her best- selling book “The Helpmate” has been cataloged as a family relationship help and has been inducted into the Library of Congress. She is also the co-author of a workbook entitled “Mentoring Our Moms” used to help mothers’ restore their personal self.

In addition to her compassionate community work Gwen is also a Certified Teacher of Psychology and instructs as an Adjunct Professor for Middlesex and Union College. She also instructs K through 12 students in the public schools. To execute her work further Gwen founded The Start House LLC in 2008 to help returning citizens and their families with counseling services in addition to other domestic needs. She also serves humbly in several denominations as a licensed Minister teaching and preaching the Gospel. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and has been awarded membership to the National Society of Leadership and Success.