THERAPIST & CONSULTANT
ORGANIZATIONAL & PERSONAL
Transformation
& HEALING
About
L Jude Tantay (she/they) is a Filipina queer trans woman. These frames inform her work developing sustainable practices promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). L supports individuals, organizations, and agencies through difficult processes healing from systemic dehumanization and trauma. Utilizing anti-racist therapeutic and applied theatre tools, L creates spaces for intentional reflection and dialogue.
20+ years of experience in public health and healthcare
• Working in clinical and social service settings
• Anti-racist organizing and community development
• Training others for community empowerment and anti-racist institutional transformation
• Strategic planning, goal setting, and project management
• Program and curriculum development for youth serving organizations and agencies
Presentations and panels
• NYC Bar Association
• PrideWorks Westchester
• The National Queer Asian and Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) Conference
• Rockland County School Districts
• NY Presbyterian Hospital Network
• Asian American / Asian Research Institute
• NYKnows Network
Organizational clients & collaborations
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Community Catalyst
- Transgender Law Center
- Henry Street Settlement
- RaceForward and the Governmental Alliance for Racial Equity (GARE)
- The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- The Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
- Interaction Institute for Social Change
- People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
- Decolonizing Therapy
- APICHA Community Health Center
- Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
- Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
- NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation
- NYC Commission on Human Rights
- NYC Department of Social Services
L Tantay is a thoughtful, values-driven leader and collaborator for organizational equity work. Their practice is grounded in community and stakeholder engagement, centering the voices, experiences, and solutions of those most marginalized by multiple systems of oppression. L is very skillful at designing and implementing plans and processes that build and maintain relationships and strengthen organizational culture and practices, while also achieving results. L has a strong intersectional racial equity lens, which they use to inform all aspects of their approach – from goal setting, to data analysis, to stakeholder engagement, and implementation. They are also an engaging trainer and facilitator on many equity related topics, taking care with their curriculum design to attend to diverse learning styles. I have learned and grown so much through my work with L; I deeply admire how they continually work to deepen their own practice, reflecting on themself, and listening to and learning from others. They are a true model of an effective intersectional equity leader for organizations. I hope to have another opportunity to work with L again in the future!
Services
Strategic Planning
SMART, goal-oriented planning that includes sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and measuring success.
Process Facilitation
Holding generative meeting or retreat spaces for teams and groups to move you towards your objectives in a humanistic way.
Capacity Support and Coaching
Offering JEDI-infused 1-on-1 or team consultation to optimize organizational effectiveness and wellness, including coaching, tool development, and policy advisement.
In-Person and Virtual Workshops
Improving understanding around racism, sexism, and other systems of privilege and oppression in businesses and institutions.
Applied Theatre Interventions
Utilizing interactive and creative activities to promote dialogue, encourage innovation, and visualize solutions.
Mental Health Counseling
Co-creating a therapeutic space for healing and reflection (Make an appointment for a free therapy consultation.) Note: Only for Michigan residents.
L Tantay is a gift! From working with them when they were part of Race to Justice at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to witnessing their expansion and growth as the Acting Director of the team – L can be relied upon to “get things done…” and get them done well! I was so comfortable, impressed and connected to L that they have assisted my organization in the creation of a manual, guidebook, reference section, and flow chart for our “Politicizing Your Practice” series. L’s conscious and Justice-oriented savvy and sheer presence has been invaluable!
L is a gentle force of nature creating change, weaving alliances, tending to structural and systemic transformation, and expertly building to create deep rooted equity channels of wellness- for all!
TRAUMA-INFORMED THERAPY
L received her MSW from the University of Michigan and is a social worker and limited licensed therapist at S.C. Nash Counseling and Consulting. She serves people all across Michigan, particularly queer and trans people of color. L has had extensive experience running psychoeducational support groups and providing 1-on-1 harm and risk reduction counseling. A major trend she has seen with clients is that many feel that they don’t own their stories, that they continually struggle with the dominant white and cishet narrative they’re forced to accept. This harms us all – even cishet people – and it carries from generation to generation. L uses multiple therapeutic approaches to breakdown these oppressive messages, including narrative, “parts,” creative arts, acceptance and commitment, and mindfulness-based therapies. If you think L would be a good fit for you, please reach out for a free consultation or email her.
Anti-Racist Practices
Throughout her career, L has worked tirelessly to dismantle racism in systems and structures that continued to perpetuate racial inequity. Her work as Acting Director of the Race to Justice Management Team helped them recognize that racism must always be central to conversations of injustice and inequity, undergirding and intersecting with all oppressions. Collaborating with organizations such as RaceForward, the Interaction Institute for Social Change, Decolonizing Therapy, and the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, L learned key ways to operationalize anti-racist practices and key measures for social justice.
Consciousness Raising
L received her Masters in Applied Theatre at CUNY School of Professional Studies where they learned how to use the reflective and transformative power of theatre to create opportunities for growth and change. Paulo Freire and his Pedagogy of the Oppressed is central to applied theatre, recognizing that oppression can only be defeated through raising consciousness utilizing the values of faith, hope, trust, and love. Through applied theatre, L is able to create facilitated spaces for honest and open discussions.
Expanding Understanding
Since high school, L has been a health educator, primarily about sexuality, gender, and diversity. In college, L received professional training to be a health educator and has since expanded that knowledge through training with multiple experts, including the Transgender Training Institute, Cicatelli Associates, the CDC, and NDRI. They have used their expansive understanding of sexuality and gender to train and provide technical assistance to agencies, organizations, and professionals across NYC, NY state, and NJ.
Youth and Community Development
L has managed a number of programs supporting community organizing and development. In various roles – from Board Member to coordinator to facilitator – L has led multiple initiatives utilizing identity-based self-reflection for community building. Blending applied theatre and counseling techniques, L developed groups and programs for many communities, particularly among BIPOC LGBTQ+ people and Filipino/AAPI youth. L has supported multiple actions and organizing spaces, including GAPIMNY (the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of NY) and FAHSI (Filipino American Health Services, Inc.) in NYC. She also used her talents as a co-manager for the only transgender/GNC/NB intergenerational theatre troupe in NYC – the TransGenerational Theatre Project.
“JEDI Rockstar” is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about L! Over the years, we’ve collaborated on a plethora of JEDI-related work at the NYC Dept of Health. L was a vital leader of the agency’s Race to Justice internal reform initiative. In an agency with over 6000+ staff, L was always the go-to person on anything related to racial equity and social justice. L had no problem standing up against injustice and challenging racist norms. I saw L as a true advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ staff. I appreciate L so much and can’t thank them enough for all of the wisdom and support they provided to me on my own JEDI journey! Any organization looking to create some real systemic change would be lucky to work with L.
“This symbol comes from the Kalinga people – an indigenous group of people in the Philippines – and is used in batok, which is traditional ceremonial tattooing. It represents the scorpion, which is given to fierce warriors to show their strength. I was born under the zodiac sign of Scorpio, and its primary symbol is a giant scorpion. As an astrological sign, the scorpion represents many things – including sex, death, and inevitable change. It represents passion and the generative spirit, finding innovation in pain and darkness. I’ve found a way to channel my own pain into growth. The path of justice is difficult, painful and yet inevitable to ensure equity for all. Using passion and creativity, I hope to bring this change to the world.”
L Tantay
Testimonials
Working with L helped me to identify priority areas for professional/personal growth and create a roadmap for how to get there. They provided incredibly helpful tools and resources to support that work into the future.
Sarah Nelson – coaching client
Director of Programs, Housing
& Community Strategy
Habitat for Humanity International
L has the uncanny ability to simultaneously manage a fast-paced, results-oriented environment while also maintaining a deep commitment to advancing racial and social justice in all that they do.
Sara Shoener, DrPH – former colleague
Director, Equity NYC
City of New York
L is a dedicated and diligent worker who manages people and projects well. L is a confident and personable workshop facilitator and an excellent writer. I would definitely hire L again for any position in management, training, or sexual health.
Diana C Girhotra – former colleague
Project Manager
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Contact
Book a Meeting
30 minutes
This meeting is for initial inquiries or quick project management and coordination. For all capacity coaching or meetings requiring more discussion, please use my 30 min slots.
1 hour
This meeting is for capacity coaching or project management and coordination. For initial inquiries, please use my 30 min slots.
Book a Counseling Consultation
15 minutes
Not sure about therapy? Book a free consultation! This free 15 minute space is for you to ask questions, to get to know each other, and for me to share information to help you decide if I’m the right therapist for you. Note: Only for Michigan residents.