A Step Forward Inc.

02/09/2026

"Bessie Coleman was a true pioneer who refused to let barriers define her future. Born in 1892, she became the first African American and Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license—after traveling to France to train because flight schools in the U.S. denied her admission due to her race and gender.

Known as “Queen Bess,” she dazzled crowds as a fearless stunt pilot and used her platform to advocate for equality, inspiring generations of women and people of color to take flight. Her legacy reminds us that courage, persistence, and vision can break any ceiling—on the ground or in the sky."

“The air is the only place free from prejudices.” — Bessie Coleman

12/17/2025

08/26/2025

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new clinician to the A Step Forward team. Please join us in welcoming Shanette Williams, LMFT.

With over 20 years of experience providing psychotherapy services throughout California’s Central Valley, Shanette Williams, LMFT, is deeply committed to helping individuals and families heal from the impact of trauma. Shanette specializes in trauma-informed care, offering compassionate, evidence-based treatment to survivors of sexual abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and commercially sexual exploitation children. Her clinical work spans across the lifespan, supporting children, adolescents, and adults.

You can learn more about her in the link below
https://www.astepforwardinc.com/meet-our-therapists/shanette-williams-lmft/

06/24/2025

We would like to welcome one of our new therapists at A Step Forward, Jocelyn Schneider, LMFT.

Jocelyn Schneider, LMFT, specializes in offering therapy to children, adolescents, and their families from a trauma-informed perspective in both individual and group settings. She believes in people’s innate resilience and capacity for healing. She is honored to accompany and help guide those who have experienced multiple and complex traumas on their paths to recovery. She works with a diverse population and believes that we are all human with complex natures and deserve professional recovery support.

Jocelyn works collaboratively in a non-judgmental, creative, somatic, and integrative manner. She is particularly enthusiastic about helping children, adults, and families create long-lasting meaning, understanding, and ease in their lives.

Jocelyn earned her BA from UC Berkeley and her Masters in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy Emphasis, from Palo Alto University. In addition to her work with A Step Forward, Jocelyn works for a major behavioral health provider in Contra Costa County. She provides video and in-person therapy in our Concord office.

Please click on the link to read more about Jocelyn and our other therapists at A Step Forward. https://www.astepforwardinc.com/meet-our-therapists/jocelyn-schneider/

03/11/2025

A Step Forward is happy to announce that we have 2 new clinicians. Please meet Ali Tabb and Emma Ewel. We are excited to have them join our team.

Below are the links to their bios, please reach out to A Step Forward if you are interested in seeing one of them. https://www.astepforwardinc.com/

https://www.astepforwardinc.com/meet-our-therapists/alexa-tabb/
https://www.astepforwardinc.com/meet-our-therapists/emma-ewel/

02/01/2025

To Celebrate Black History Month (Feb 1-March 1, 2025) , we would like to recognize pioneering psychologists and civil rights advocates, Mamie Phipps Clark and Kenneth Bancroft Clark who conducted groundbreaking research on the psychological effects of segregation, most notably through their renowned "doll tests." Their work played a critical role in the Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, which declared school segregation unconstitutional. Their legacy continues to inspire the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice.