David Nabea, MSW, LCSW
Psychotherapist
David lived and worked on the island of Oahu, Hawaii for fifteen years before moving to Tennessee where he and his family currently reside. Prior to moving to Hawaii, David engaged in Christian ministry in various forms, owned and run a private Girls’ High School where he realized his passion for educating, mentoring and empowering the next generation, among other things.
However, having experienced trauma in childhood, he was always curious about human behavior; which led him to attend the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii where he completed his Bachelors program and got admitted to the Masters accelerated program due to his excellent performance. After graduating, he wanted to continue to work with students as he had done in his home country and applied to work at McKinley High school as a Behavior Health Specialist. Not long after, he was hired permanently by the Department of Education in the Leeward District, and assigned to Waianae High School in the same position.
David later transitioned and worked as the Waianae Complex Area Social Worker where he worked with several schools and school Principals. During his time in this position, he pioneered key statewide initiatives including “The Attendance Review Council” (ARC) which became an integral part of Hawaii’s Department of Education’s Attendance Tiers of Intervention.
His passion for education at a macro level, led him to form close ties with key education proponents such as former Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona who became chair of the ARC and former minority leader City Councilwoman Andria Tupola who continues to help lead the initiative. David also inspired and pioneered a statewide social workers’ movement dubbed “Student Attendance Taskforce” (SAT), a legislative taskforce that investigated strategic and efficacious attendance laws. He along with the cohort and chief consultant, former Judge Duke Aiona presented their proposal at various levels of leadership including the two Hawaii Superintendents and Board of Governors among others.
As a way of giving back to the community, David felt inspired to pioneer a movement (in early 2023) that has come to be called “The Villagers.” The movement’s base is in Tennessee where he resides with his family and together are passionate about seeing more cohesive communities with an intent to nurture, educate and be more proactive about mental health within family structures. The goal of this initiative, is to help curb current crime, suicide, and gun violence rates among other atrocities that continue to plague our society in increasing measure. A comprehensive proposal on “The Villagers,” can be found in the ‘affiliations’ page of this website.
David sat for ASWB National exam and was licensed to practice in the state of Hawaii at which point he started his private practice. He later moved to Memphis Tennessee and worked as a psychotherapist in the Veterans Affairs Department Hospital where he counseled veterans struggling with PTSD and mood disorders among other presentations. However, due to the influx of clients in his private practice, he resigned from the VA hospital to focus on his private practice where he continues to devote his time to people in need of “insights that inspire transformation” – an attestation of many of his patients. Due to high demand on his therapy style, he is in the process of expanding his practice to incorporate other therapists to help in the task at hand in Tennessee and other states.
He is passionate about couples work and has seen great success in this area having worked with many couples battling Post Infidelity Stress Disorder (PISD), communication issues, conflict resolution among a slew of other complexities that manifest within relationships. Notwithstanding, he has developed a unique set of clinical tools weaved within evidence-based practices to treat clients with mood disorders, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among other disorders.
Finally, for those seeking a Christian approach, it is important to note that David’s keen Biblical acumen sets him apart in his approach to mental health as he sees a seamlessness in theology and therapy; making him a preferred Christian Therapist for many who after experiencing his approach refer others.
“Pursuing Tranquility”
