WHO ARE WE?

It all began with an idea, so many signs, and a passion to create meaningful change in the systems of care that are meant to help, but sometimes cause harm. Together, we have fought. We have advocated. We have used our voices to educate, to uplift, and support those in greatest need. We have conversed about the possibilities for systemic changes in the systems of care we have worked in for the last 30 plus years. Support Not Stigma is the belief that we can create change by supporting those with mental health and substance use disorders, rather than stigmatizing. A little support goes a long way when you act with good intentions.

Co-Founder, Ph.D, LICSW, LCSW-QS

Dr. Heather Howard is a nationally recognized leader in behavioral health, maternal wellness, and trauma-informed care, with more than two decades of experience advancing person-centered, evidence-based systems of care. She brings a proven record of visionary leadership, cross-sector collaboration, and scholarly expertise in addressing substance use disorders, particularly among pregnant and parenting women.

Dr. Howard has authored over 34 peer-reviewed publications, with a research focus on health empowerment, interprofessional practice, and shared decision-making in maternal substance use care. Her work emphasizes reducing stigma and promoting equity through integrated approaches involving clinicians, social workers, and public health educators. She is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences and has secured over $500,000 in competitive state and federal research grants.

An active voice in Florida’s peer-recovery and behavioral health ecosystem, Dr. Howard designed the trauma-informed care training module for the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative’s Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Initiative. She also served as a co-investigator and shared decision-making trainer on the SAMHSA State Opioid Response Grant with Florida Atlantic University’s College of Medicine.

A former tenured professor at Florida Atlantic University, Dr. Howard retired from academia to translate psychological research into actionable, community-centered programming. As Chief Strategy Officer, she led the implementation of a trauma-informed care model organization-wide—boosting patient satisfaction and staff retention—and secured over $3 million in grant funding from state and federal agencies. She also pioneered aquatic therapy as a treatment innovation and piloted research into its impact on cravings, depression, and psychological well-being.

Dr. Howard’s recent projects include developing Casa Flores, a comprehensive residential treatment program for perinatal women with substance use disorders, grounded in evidence-based interventions such as Seeking Safety, Botvin Life Skills, and Circle of Security. Her work extends to designing health equity interventions for Black non-Hispanic pregnant women and leading outcome evaluations for Palm Beach County’s Behavioral Health Strategic Plan.

She has served as Principal Investigator on multiple high-impact, community-engaged studies, including a U.S. Department of Justice-funded project examining the role of housing and peer support in reducing recidivism among formerly incarcerated individuals with substance use histories. Her findings have been published in top peer-reviewed journals and have informed systems-level change across Florida’s behavioral health infrastructure.

Dr. Howard is a Graduate Faculty Affiliate in the Phyllis & Harvey Sandler School of Social Work and the College of Medicine at FAU. Her leadership philosophy centers on trauma-informed systems, collaborative care, and the unwavering belief that recovery is possible when stigma is replaced with support, and science guides service delivery.

Co-Founder, LMHC, NCC, CAP

Allison “Alli” Jimenez is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Addiction Professional, Nationally Certified Counselor, and College Professor with over 15 years in the human services and nonprofit field, specializing in community partnerships, public affairs, trauma, and crisis intervention. Alli believes that personally and professionally, everything is relational and has built longstanding relationships with colleagues across the country. Through her personal and professional experiences, she has made it her life’s work to break generational cycles of trauma through counseling, prevention services, education, advocacy, writing, and public speaking. Alli has lived experience of sitting in the client seat and knows firsthand the positive impact consistent therapy has. She takes an integrative and holistic approach to everything she does, identifying root causes, not just focusing on the problem at hand.  It is her belief that much of the detriment in our world is due to the shackles of unresolved generational traumas. If more people had access to mental health services, education, prevention, and treatment programs without barriers and the fear of stigma, our communities can and will be strengthened.

Alli is well known for building comprehensive programs including diversion programs for youth at risk of entering the juvenile justice system, teen and young mom mentoring programs, substance use disorder treatment programming for perinatal women, Narcan distribution initiatives, youth mentoring programs, family support groups, and suicide prevention.

She has held roles at the Executive level and through partnerships and grant writing, has solidified and sustained over $5 million in grants. As a professor at Palm Beach State College, she uses her multifaceted experience to teach in multiple departments. Alli holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Palm Beach Atlantic University: Summa Cum Laude, Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Florida International University: Magna Cum Laude, and an Associate Degree in Human Services from Palm Beach State College.