Dr. Adia McClellan Winfrey
Author & Founder, Healing Young People thru Empowerment (H.Y.P.E.)
Dr. Adia McClellan Winfrey, also known as Dr. Dia, is a published author, psychologist, curriculum developer, and mentor to youth around the country. Described as “brilliant” by best-selling author Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, she has advocated for Hip Hop culture’s utility within emotional wellness and activism since she was a teenager.
Dr. Dia earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Wilberforce University and Doctorate of Clinical Psychology degree from Wright State University School of Professional Psychology. For her doctoral dissertation, she created the group therapy curriculum Healing Young People thru Empowerment (H.Y.P.E.) which integrates Hip Hop culture and psychological theories.
Her dissertation was the foundation of the first published Hip Hop therapy book Healing Young People thru Empowerment (H.Y.P.E.): A Hip-Hop Therapy Program for Black Adolescent Boys (African-American Images, 2009). Described as “innovative and effective,” the H.Y.P.E. curriculum has been implemented with youth globally since 2010.
Dr. Dia has worked with a number of artists and organizations to promote Hip Hop-based emotional wellness through community and online platforms. Grammy Award winning artist Killer Mike stated, “Activists need to get active. Like Dr. Dia, find something that you’re passionate about within your field of Hip Hop.”
Dr. Dia has been featured on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, National Public Radio (NPR), in JET Magazine, and on a number of web-based radio and television shows. She launched her radio show, Sessions with Dr. Dia, in March 2014 on Atlanta’s WAEC LOVE 860AM.
Dr. Dia knows that Hip Hop culture is a vehicle to educate, heal, and empower, and her life’s mission is sharing this knowledge with the world.
Meet The BlackDoctor.org 2015 “Champions of Change” was originally published on blackdoctor.org
