Dr. Raheem Lay is a veteran clinical therapist with over twenty years of professional field experience, eighteen of which have been spent overseeing various mental health and therapy initiatives in the United States Armed Forces. After receiving his master’s and doctorate in social work, as well as his certification in Empathy and Emotional Intelligence Coaching, Dr. Lay founded two educational programs to assist men and women in mastering their emotions and constructing prosperous futures. In addition, he designed an essential empathy certification course for police academy recruits in order to prepare officers-in-training for effective community engagement. As he identifies positive intergroup contact as a crucial aspect of effective policing, he works to promote a healthy junction between the police and the communities they serve, believing that better relationships foster greater citizen cooperation and less police anxiety and fatigue. 

Dr. Lay is enthusiastic about assisting others and is dedicated to the excellence and growth of students. He values the academic environment and is dedicated to a student-centered, mentoring approach to teaching.