Yalanda Lester serves as a Staff Care and Resilience Case Coordinator for the KonTerra Group. Yalanda’s expertise is in the field of behavioral health to include social work and crisis stabilization.

Yalanda has held positions ranging from assessment coordinator, behavioral health specialist, therapeutic mentor, crisis counselor, mental health counselor, case manager, social services specialist, and program manager. She has worked with a variety of populations including the homeless, veterans, incarcerated, substance abuse, and significantly mentally ill. Yalanda has experience providing crisis stabilization, risk assessments for suicidality, individual counseling, and case management. She is trained in critical incident stress management (CISM) and has responded to traumatic community events which have required debriefing and resiliency support. In addition, she has worked in the field providing mobile crisis counseling services.

Yalanda is originally from Boston, MA but has resided in the DMV area for the past 15 years. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology from Northeastern University and her Masters of Arts degree in Human Services Counseling from Liberty University. In addition, she possesses certification in Addictions Counseling. Lastly, Yalanda is certified as a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) through the Virginia Board of Counseling. Yalanda enjoys traveling, fitness, and photography. These days you will find her running behind her 2 year and 6 month old nieces or spending time outdoors with her 3 year old pup Kairo.