About Deanna
Meet Deanna A. Robinson
As a person diagnosed with a serious mental illness 27 years ago, Ms. Robinson draws from her rich experiences with psychosis, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and trauma inspiring others to see mental illness in a new, fascinating light. As a national trainer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for 19 years, Ms. Robinson has a deep appreciation for people’s curiosity. She engages humor, storytelling, and interaction, so people take away memorable moments from the colorful nuggets of wisdom she has to share.
She has worked in varying roles for NAMI National and for NAMI state and local affiliates. Most recently, she served as Executive Director for NAMI-San Fernando Valley. She’s an experienced support group facilitator with more than 22 years’ experience in helping people navigate distressing challenges. She’s helped create videos for the country’s emergency room hospital staff, University of Phoenix’s social work program, and has parts of her story highlighted in videos and curriculum of NAMI’s signature programs. She’s been featured in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun and quoted in other notable media. Prior to joining the NAMI family in 2004, she was a Senior Litigation Paralegal for CitiFinancial. She is a pre-med student, a certified spiritual coach, and has several national mental health instructor certifications including Mental Health First Aid and QPR Suicide Prevention. She is Founder & CEO of The Healing Conversationalist, LLC, which is focused on healing the world through speaking, training, and coaching. She has a special interest in the intersectionality of psychosis and spirituality.
Ms. Robinson lives in Elkridge, MD, has 5 grown children, ages, 29 to 40, and 7 grandchildren. She is a cartoon, anime, DC Comics, and Marvel Cinematic Universe enthusiast and enjoys politics, social justice activism, and reading.