Meet Our Founder
Walter Patton
Artist, Advocate of Change and Community Leader
Walter is a father of three and fourth-generation resident of Outhwaite (Case Court). He along with his great grandmother Lula Patton, grandmother Barbara Patton, and mother Mary Patton are life-long residents of the Central community, Walter since birth, 35 years.
Walter was educated in the Cleveland Municipal School District and attended Alfred A. Benesch, Central Middle School, and East Tech High School. He is the creator of two community initiatives that support Central residents.
Create Art not Violence, a youth art initiative formed to help the youth overcome their traumatic environment through different forms art form such as poetry, film, hip hop and arts and crafts. Participants also attend exposure field trips to local museums and recorded songs in recording studios. The initiative reached over 60 neighborhood youth.
He is also the creator of the award-winning mental health program, Ghetto therapy™️ Free public therapy sessions that are open to the public and include all age groups. Therapy sessions include a healthy dinner, facilitated discussions by guest speakers and exposure to different forms of therapy including Reiki, Sound, Art, Meditation, Yoga and Foot detox. Ghetto therapy is held on the second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 pm. Over the last two years the attendance has increased from 30 – 100 participants.
Ghetto Therapy has received numerous awards including the 2022 Anisfield Wolf Memorial Award for Community service, 2023 City of Cleveland Black Excellence award, 2021, 2022 Cleveland Public Library Unsung Hero award.
How It All Started
Ghetto therapy ™️ started in 2018 in the Central community (Dtw projects) Cleveland OH Outhwaite public housing was created by resident and 4th generation of the Central community Walter Patton. It started as just an idea I wanted to bring different coping mechanisms to the Ghetto at a time when homicides, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol abuse were at an all-time high we needed other outlets to cope with trauma besides smoking and drinking.
For two years from 2018 to 2020 Ghetto therapy was outside traveling to different neighborhoods and talking to the residents we eventually landed a space inside the WOVU radio station for one year once a month then we moved over to the Eldorados barber shop right before the pandemic the owner Ben Cooper was tragically murdered and we had to shut down in 2020. In 2021 we opened back up and from there, we began to service the community every week once we moved into the lead safe Cleveland resource center we added our first licensed therapist/ reiki practitioner Shannon Yarbrough.
A year later in 2022 we added a second location Langston Hughes Cleveland Clinic where the executive director of Langston Hughes Chantel Wilcox made it possible. Now we service over 1600 residents in the city of Cleveland yearly we utilize 8 forms of therapy Reiki, sound therapy, mental health counseling, art therapy, in cognitive therapy, meditation, yoga, and massage therapy we now have a partnership with 3 licensed counselors Myesha Watkins licensed counselor and Harvard graduate, Jerome Cash licensed professional counselor, and Shannon Yarbrough, we also collaborate with 6 other therapists. We service wards 5,6,7,9 with partnerships with Cleveland Clinic, Environmental Health Watch, Tri C, Burten Bell Carr, 3rd space action lab Ghetto is expanding throughout the entire city of Cleveland.
The Team
Shannon Yarbrough OTR/L specializes in the art of Reiki. Shannon is an Occupational Therapist & Reiki practitioner licensed in Ohio. She uses holistic approaches incorporating the mind, body and spirit. She has been a licensed OT practitioner for over 9 years, after graduating with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Cleveland State University. Shannon has been called to explore Reiki and energy healing incorporating sound therapy, Eden Enegry Medicine, and energy tracing symbols.
Shannon has dedicated her skills/practice to healing in underprivileged communities that usually don’t have access to these types of services. Shannon’s experiences have led her to work with many populations, including geriatrics, pediatrics, and adolescents, in a variety of settings, including schools, clinics and in home treatment. Diagnoses worked with, but not limited to, have included: developmental delays, autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, generalized anxiety, depression, eating disorders, arthritis, pain, autoimmune diseases, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, cancer, visional impaired and neuromuscular diseases.
Shannon Yarbrough
Myesha Watkins is a licensed social worker, youth development professional, and violence prevention expert. Myesha earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from Cleveland State University, followed by a certificate from Harvard Business School, Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management in 2021. Myesha is currently serving as executive director of Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance, an organization committed to providing community-led prevention and intervention and restoration services to those in our communities the most impacted by gun violence. In 2021, Myesha was selected to participate in Mayor-elect Justin Bibb's transition team and public safety committee. A thought-leader in the community, she supports city and county governments, and surrounding suburbs, by educating and addressing the underlying issues that lead to community with gun violence.
In 2022, Myesha was recognized for her impactful work in violence prevention in Cleveland by the President Biden and invited to the White House. Most recently, she was honored in the 15th Edition of Who’s Who in Black Cleveland as one of the most influential people in Cleveland and continues to use her influence platform to create positive change that supports and inspires Black people and communities.
Myesha Watkins, Therapist
Jerome Cash M.Ed., LPC, EMDR Therapist Jerome Cash is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at Grow Well Cleveland, LLC. Jerome earned his Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Cleveland State University and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, at the University of Akron. Jerome has experience with adolescents and adults who struggle with anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, parenting, and autism. Jerome’s client population consists mostly of high school students, college students, and adults. Jerome provides individual, group, family and couples therapy.
Jerome is a member, Deacon and community coordinator at East Mount Zion Baptist Church, where he is active in the inner city and involved in the Life Line Services; which serves and provides needs, food and resources for families in their natural environments. Jerome has worked in community agencies as a mental health case manager, residential treatment facilities for children with special needs, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, and private practice settings. He has collaborated with Cleveland State University for Teen Mental Health Summits and the Kevin Love Fund; an event hosted yearly at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse that supports high school students in Northeast Ohio.
Jerome also is a part of a mental health program, Peel Dem Layers Back, where the mission is to culturally educate, empower and equip black men and young men in Cleveland Schools (CMSD) with essential tools necessary to live a mentally healthy life; expressing themselves through music, the Hip-Hop lens. Recently, partnering with Carrington Behavioral Health, Jerome collaborates with the agency by facilitating groups, discussing mental health and reaching youth who are there in residential treatment.
Jerome utilizes an eclectic treatment approach varying in EMDR-Trauma informed therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance & commitment techniques, solution-focused, person-centered, and strength-based interventions. Jerome would like to continue challenging a range of issues pertaining to emotional and mental health, in order to assist clients and those in the community with reaching their full potential.
Jerome Cash
Holly Davenport, a Glenville High graduate, has had a zeal for serving people regardless of age, race or gender throughout her life. Operating a catering business, That Brown Girl Spice, Holly demonstrates her love for others by serving her heart and soul, scratch kitchen cuisine. After dedicating 26 years to the Cosmetology industry, she founded “Stirring The Pot” a project to introduce youth to the art of cooking. The project goal is for school-aged children, senior citizens, the culinary community, urban gardeners, and families to cook and break bread together and also develop trans-generational relationships. Holly is very active in her church in Collinwood. She is currently a very active administrator and facilitator for The Collinwood Cobras, a Cleveland youth sports organization that believes in youth mentorship, meaningful programming and social wellness on and off the field. She makes sure all participants have healthy meals after activity, she has prepared over 500 healthy meals. Holly has been the caterer for Ghetto Therapy since November of 2022, she has never missed a session and has prepared regular and vegan cuisine for over 1,200 participants.
Holly Davenport
