Lia Avellino, LCSW, is the CEO of Spoke, an organization located in the heart of Brooklyn that provides group support on a variety of life’s challenges with low time commitment and high emotional return. As a relational psychotherapist, she specializes in women’s issues and modern love. She believes that deep and intentional connection is the balm for healing, and that we all have what we need within us to find our way. To this end, Lia has committed her professional life to bringing the science and ethos of therapy out of the clinical realm and into community spaces. In her roles as the Advisor of Head and Heart at The Well, as well as a writer, facilitator and commentator, she uses social justice and experiential learning frameworks to empower people to work through issues that are meaningful to them.
She graduated with distinction from Columbia University and has received awards for innovative research and excellence in the provision of therapeutic care to underserved populations, while managing a national component of President Obama’s initiative to reduce teen pregnancy across the nation. Her writing and commentary has been featured in Glamour, The American Journal of Sexuality Education, Best Life, and most recently on ABC’s Tamron Hall Show.