Meet Shervana

Hi, I’m Shervana Francis.

I wear a few hats—trauma psychologist, academic, author, podcast host, and my favorite, founder and CEO of Espoir Trauma Clinic. But before all of that, I was just a girl from a tiny fishing village on the south coast of Saint Lucia, holding the duality of adversity and ambition.

After my mom left my abusive father, I grew up in a poor single-parent household, with what I like to joke was undiagnosed, unmedicated middle child syndrome. Those early years taught me how to be strong, resourceful, and determined to create something more for myself.

Life has taken me through a lot of chapters—child sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, mental illness, divorce, building a home of my own, becoming a six-figure entrepreneur, and ultimately, finding my way back to wholeness, joy, and prosperity.

Today, I’m the lead clinician at Espoir Trauma Clinic. For me, this work is not a job, it’s the deepest part of who I am. It’s my vocation and my life’s mission—to hold high achievers and leaders with clinical precision, somatic insight, and fierce compassion so they can heal and prosper beyond trauma.

I know that unresolved trauma doesn’t disappear simply because you’ve learned to perform, lead, or succeed. Power and pain often live side by side. Many of my clients arrive at Espoir after years of pushing through stress, pressure, and private struggles—despite looking strong, accomplished, and unshakable to the outside world—and years of therapy that left them feeling more hopeless.

And yet, the transformation is extraordinary. After six to eight months of working together, many of my clients tell me they can hardly recognise themselves. They shed layers of trauma and pain, build capacity in their nervous system, reconnect with their power, and step into freedom. What emerges is a new level of confidence, clarity, and what I call badassery—a way of living where success no longer comes at the cost of self. And I want that for you too!!

Outside of my practice, you’ll usually find me near the ocean—my favourite place to recharge—or with a cat in my lap (even though mine pretends she doesn’t love me back). These are the small things that keep me grounded in joy, even while I hold space for some of life’s heaviest stories.

It’s Time To Love Yourself Again

-Shervana Francis

My Approach

I specialise in treating High-Functioning Trauma™—a unique pattern where past adversity drives success, but silently undermines wellbeing. My work is grounded in somatic therapy and trauma-informed care, woven together with evidence-based practices that honour both the body and the mind.

In our work together, I bring:

Clinical authority, grounded in research and trauma expertise.
Presence and compassion, creating a safe, non-judgmental space for your most private truths.
Discretion and care, understanding the responsibility and influence that come with leadership.

You can think of Espoir as a practice refined for leaders. I intentionally integrate modalities that help clients perform sustainably — reducing burnout, improving decision-making under pressure, and strengthening relationships.

My role is to hold you at the level you live and lead: with depth, precision, and quality care equal to your reality. Therapy with me is not about managing symptoms. It is about restoring nervous system balance, expanding capacity, and building the mental fitness, emotional intelligence, and relational skills that allow you to prosper without sacrificing your safety, sanity or soul.

Every session is a deeply held, personalised experience—crafted to meet you where you are, and guide you toward where you want to be.

This isn’t just therapy. It’s not coaching. And it’s not motivational fluff.

My work sits at the intersection of:

Clinical trauma treatment
Nervous system regulation and somatic science
Organisational development and leadership strategy
Caribbean cultural insight and identity repair

Why I Do This Work

My path into trauma therapy began long before credentials, degrees, or titles. It began with my own lived experience of navigating adversity and discovering that healing was possible—even for those who look “too strong to break.”

Like many of my clients, I grew up with childhood trauma and learned to survive by being strong, capable, and resilient. For years, I believed “okay” meant keeping everything together—pushing down pain, compartmentalising, and excelling no matter what.

Until one day, everything fell apart. And I was diagnosed with four mental illnesses, placed on medication, and found myself in a psychiatric hospital on suicide watch. That experience changed me. But it was from that breaking point that my healing began—and that healing gave birth to Espoir, Hope for Healing.

I know firsthand what it feels like to hold everyone up while falling apart inside, to succeed professionally while privately unravelling, to question your worth even when everyone else sees your strength.I know the weight of performing while hurting, of looking powerful but feeling powerless. And I also know that healing is possible.

This is my deepest passion—holding high achievers and leaders in ways that traditional therapy often cannot. Because I know what it feels like to be strong for everyone else, while secretly wishing someone could be strong for you.

My lived experience is the backbone of my work. It taught me what’s needed to hold someone who is both accomplished and hurting, how to translate clinical knowledge into real-world, day-to-day capacity building, and how to stay tender even when the work is fierce.

That is why every client at Espoir is met with authority, compassion, and discretion—so you can not only survive success, but prosper in every part of your life.

My Professional Lens

I’m not your typical therapist and working with me is not therapy as usual. Unlike most therapists, I bring both lived experience and clinical expertise to my work. I specialise in treating what I call High-Functioning Trauma™—a pattern where past adversity fuels achievement, but quietly erodes wellbeing.

My work sits at the intersection of rigorous research and somatic, body-informed practice. I combine trauma-informed somatic therapy with evidence-based clinical methods tailored to high performers. In practice, that means helping clients restore nervous system balance, rebuild capacity for emotional regulation, sharpen mindset and mental fitness, strengthen their relational skills and integrate healing into how they work and lead so they can truly prosper.

When you work with me (and yes, you will be working with me directly), every session is personalised, discreet, and deeply held.

Professional Snapshot

I know you must be asking what qualifies me to do this work. No offense taken, I would ask the same thing. So here goes:

PhD Candidate (Developmental Psychology, with a specialization in Administration & Leadership) — researching the impact of childhood trauma on Caribbean high achievers.
Advanced Certificates in Mental Health & Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology.
Certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, with ongoing professional development in trauma-informed modalities.
Licensed Massage Therapist, trained in swedish, deep tissue, myofascial release, cupping therapy, stone therapy, thai massage and aromatherapy
Founder of the Caribbean Trauma Institute, advancing trauma research and culturally rooted approaches across the region.
Author — my debut book on High-Functioning Trauma™ will be released in 2026.
Host of the Therapy Diary™ podcast, where I share insights, tools, and conversations on healing and resilience.

What It's Like Working with Me

What you'll find is that my approach to therapy is more like a coaching experience. And that is deliberate. I have a healing practice not a clinical practice (even if I run a clinic).

I do not diagnose you, although sometimes I help you bring awareness to the mainstream labels that define your specific symptoms--so we have a reference to build a framework for your healing.

I don’t see you as a problem to be fixed. I see you as a powerful person—a whole human navigating a complex world with resilience and strength. You’re not my patient, you’re my client. We are partners in this process.

Every session is a collaborative experience, led by your needs, not my agenda. I create a space of pristine presence, deep somatic work, and real empowerment—free from shame, pathologising, or clinical coldness. This is not traditional therapy. It’s an integrative, trauma-informed experience rooted in nervous system repair and personal restoration.

What You Get as a Private Client

When you work with me 1:1, you don’t just get therapy—you get structured, high-level support designed to meet the realities of your life. This includes:

Three private sessions per month on a consistent day and time that fits your schedule.
Unlimited access to my somatic healing library, so you have tools at your fingertips between sessions.
Monthly breathwork therapy in a small group setting—because healing in community is powerful.
Private WhatsApp access for daily coaching, support, and somatic check-ins—because life doesn’t wait for your next session.

My clients don’t just feel supported—they feel held. That emotional safety is what allows us to go deep and move fast. I’ve witnessed women release years of trauma in a single session, not because I rush the process—but because I understand the nervous system, and I build the trust it takes to heal at that level.

If you are here, it means something in you is ready for more—more freedom, more peace, more clarity. If you're tired of looking fine while feeling fractured, my invitation is simple: step into a space where your story is honoured, your strength is never questioned, and healing and wholeness is the natural outcome.

My superpower is that I will teach you how to live in a way that honors your mental, emotional and financial wellbeing and puts you in position to create a life that is unrecognizable from your past. I call this The Art of Badassery, which technically means I teach you how to be BADASS—in every part of your life!!😌

Whether you're just beginning to explore somatic healing or you’ve been on this journey for a while, I would be honored to support your healing and your next level of leadership.

Here’s to the power we unlock when we heal with intention.

In love and prosperity,
Shervana

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