Sonia Turner, Intern
Sonia Turner is currently completing her final year at Columbia University’s School of Social Work where she is participating in the intensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training program and lab under the direction of André Ivanoff, Ph.D. As an intern at BHBA, she practices as an individual therapist, a DBT skills group co-leader, and a member of the weekly consultation team. Sonia was initially drawn to DBT because of its evidence-based treatment for people contending with substance use disorders, and quickly understood that its comprehensive model achieves even more in terms of coping with emotion regulation.
Prior to joining the mental health field, Sonia had a career in the cosmetics industry in sales and education. She was a regional and national education manager for Fortune 500 companies including CHANEL and Lancôme. Additionally, she worked for Estée Lauder International in Paris, France. She is an experienced cross-cultural communicator, bilingual French, based in NYC who interpreted for negotiations, business meetings, and events.
While working on her MBA at L’École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, she spent four years in France and became a dual French-US citizen before deciding to settle in NYC where she’s lived for 25 years. Across her roles as linguist, trainer, and business development manager, she was consistently a brand ambassador for her clients. She proudly represented them with professionalism, energy, and nuance.
During a break from corporate America, Sonia had the privilege of working for The Bowery Mission for almost four years with people in financial crises who were unhoused. There, she experienced a paradigm shift. She was inspired by this environment of insight and empowerment. Those years helped shape her philosophy: outer beauty stems from inner beauty. To align her career goals with this philosophy, Sonia decided to shift her path from business to collaborate with individuals struggling to reveal their inner beauty.
Navigating between cultures and industries has given Sonia a deep appreciation for the values of others while strengthening her own. She believes that what’s most important—in every organization, in every part of the globe—is treating every individual with empathy and respect.
In her spare time, Sonia enjoys spending moments with her family, in Yorktown, Virginia where she was raised by the beach. She keeps her body in tune by practicing Pilates and finds Transcendental Meditation critical for daily mindfulness and remaining grounded.