Ms. Rosa Bramble Weed, LCSW, a native of Venezuela, has worked for 19 years with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds on issues including post traumatic stress disorder, sexual abuse and survivors of torture, family acculturation, recovery, divorce, and gay and lesbian issues.

Ms. Bramble Weed holds a CASAC from the Office of Alcohol and Substance Services which prepared her in the field of alcoholism treatment at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York. She has developed group interventions unique to the needs of Latino children of alcoholics, provides groups in the areas of substance abuse, parenting and women’s issues.

In addition to her private practice, Ms. Bramble Weed is the founder and director of the Positive Life Program in Jackson Heights, Queens. The program provides counseling services to the undocumented immigrant population living with or affected HIV/AIDS. Ms. Bramble Weed’s community organizing skills brought about the first Spanish-speaking Community Forum in Queens in 2002 on the impact of HIV in Latina immigrants. She coordinates the only annual bilingual retreat for women of color living with HIV, where she has incorporated cultural elements and a holistic approach in a day of inner healing and celebration of the feminine spirit. After years in the HIV field, Ms. Bramble Weed and other Latina social workers recognized the gap in prevention services of HIV/AIDS for Latina immigrants and founded Voces Latinas, a grassroots organization that aims to reduce the transmission of HIV among Latina immigrants, who are at risk as a result of barriers to health care, immigration and domestic violence. Voces Latinas was honored as one of the recipients of the Union Square award in 2005 for the grassroots approach in HIV prevention.

Ms. Bramble Weed’s commitment to human rights and social justice has lead her to develop an expertise in the area of political asylum. She has extensive experience performing forensic evaluation and expert witness for political asylum seekers especially for the gay, lesbian and transgendered community who are severely persecuted in many countries as well as for women who have suffered from domestic violence and political persecution. Ms Bramble Weed work has extended to the Latino immigrant clean up
workers at ground zero and their families.

Ms. Bramble Weed has written articles on political asylum and Immigrant Women and HIV for ACRIA (AIDS Community Research of America). She has appeared on HITN (Hispanic Television Network) addressing the mental health needs of Latino youth as well as on Latino community and HIV. She is an invited speaker at many national conferences.

Ms. Bramble Weed served as a voting member on the Mayor’s Office New York City HIV Planning Council. She is on the Board of Directors of The Association of Hispanic Mental Health Professional. She is also a volunteer for the Physicians for Human Rights Asylum Project.

She received her master's degree from the Hunter College School of Social Work in 1990 and post graduate degree in Family Therapy at the Minuchin Center for the Family.

Last updated October 12, 2010.