The BRAVE TRC serves individuals and their families from the communities of WNY who have experienced trauma as the result of violence or abuse.

Common forms of violence  and abuse served:

• Gun Violence (GSW)
• Stabs
• Interpersonal Violence
• Domestic Violence
• Sexual Assault
• Human Trafficking
• Elder Abuse

The BRAVE TRC welcomes individuals regardless of immigration status, personal identities, mental health, or substance use diagnosis.

Eligibility for the BRAVE TRC Services includes:

• Individuals referred by ECMC staff or community partner agency
• Homicide Survivors
• Individuals who have experienced a violent crime or domestic violence within the past 3 years
• Individuals 18 years or older
• Residents of New York State

The BRAVE TRC offers holistic, comprehensive case management and therapeutic services utilizing evidence based, trauma informed, and culturally sensitive practices.

Inpatient

• Crisis response to patients presenting in the ED for trauma injuries related to violence (GSW/ Stab wounds) or immediate safety concerns (domestic/family violence, trafficking, elder abuse)
• Bedside Therapeutic Support
• Safety and needs assessments
• Support family members, including end of life and grief counseling
• SNUG Hospital Responder
• Harm-reduction interventions for individuals at-risk for shooting or getting shot
  • Including referral to SNUG (Should Never Use Guns) if appropriate
• Referrals to community-based services

Outpatient

• Trauma focused, evidenced based therapeutic services
  • Our clinical therapists are proficient in therapeutic modalities including:
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    • Cognitive Processing Therapy
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy
    • Grief and Loss
    • Internal Family Systems
    • Somatic Based Interventions
    • Brainspotting
• Post-discharge follow up and support
• Intensive clinical case management
• Law enforcement education and support
• Court accompaniment and advocacy
• OVS applications (Crime Victims Reimbursement)
• Transportation assistance for medical and mental health appointments

Airicka Brown, LMSW

Airicka Brown, LMSW is a licensed social worker with a background in clinical therapy. She has experience working with adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Adjustment Disorder and other related stressors including but not limited to symptoms related to grief, anxiety, and depression.

Airicka is a therapist at the BRAVE TRC. She works with homicide survivors, individuals who have experienced a violent crime, victims of domestic violence and victims of sexual assault. She uses a Trauma informed, person centered approach to assist individuals who are coping through stressors related to traumatic events. Airicka is currently certified in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and uses this along with skills from several other therapeutic modalities including DBT, CBT and IFS in her therapeutic approach. Airicka received her Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University. In her free time Airicka enjoys reading historical fiction and traveling to visit new places.

Cheney Brockington, LMSW

Since her move to Buffalo in 2016, Cheney Brockington, LMSW, has utilized her platform to combine her two passions: public advocacy & increasing representation within mental wellness.

After graduating from University at Buffalo’s School of Social Work, Cheney was named Keynote Speaker for Cardinal O’Hara High School’s Faculty Development Day, facilitating a guided discussion surrounding race and its intersectionality within the school-to-prison pipeline. Amidst the 2020 pandemic, she conducted a four-week radio segment highlighting the intersectionality of racism within Buffalo Public Schools and our criminal justice system on Power 96.5 (WUFO). In 2023, Cheney returned to her Alma Matter as an adjunct professor at the School of Social Work. Her most recent engagement was hosted at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, where she was named Keynote Speaker for The Eric Scott Pittman Lecture in Ethics & Social Justice, “Ripples of Hope”.

Now continuing in her sixth year of clinical work, Cheney’s areas of interest include: forensic social work, safety within relationships, boundary-setting, and conflict resolution. She is trained in treatment modalities which include: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS-1), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Through this work, she continues to seek justice and channel voices for vulnerable populations throughout NY.

Ashia F. Martin, LMSW

Ashia F. Martin, LMSW, is a Credible Therapist at the BRAVE TRC. She is part of the hybrid hospital responder team, serving individuals within her community.

Ashia is a native of Buffalo, New York, and resides on the East Side of Buffalo. While living in the inner city, she has experienced many of the same traumatic events endured by people who work, play, and live in her community. Ashia is passionate about bringing awareness of mental health treatment to communities of color. Ashia provides support to victims of gun violence and family survivors of homicide. Ashia also has over 15 years of experience working with veterans, advocating to identify service gaps and make recommendations to improve service delivery. Ashia provides individual, group, and family counseling/psychotherapy and utilizes evidence-based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Mindfulness, among other skills.

Ashia’s influence extends beyond her therapeutic work. As a stakeholder with the Buffalo Center for Healthy Equity and Vice President of the Buffalo Charter School Board, she is actively shaping the future of her community. A mother of two boys and a proud daughter of Army Veterans, her personal and professional life is a testament to her commitment to service and advocacy.

Cara Kullman, LMSW
Program Coordinator

Mackenzie Milne, MSW
Clinical Case Manager

Willie Griffin
Lead Hospital Responder