Roya Sakhai, Executive Director, holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Originally from Iran, Roya immigrated to Turkey, then Italy and finally settling in the United States in 1978. A victim of intense political persecution, Roya founded the Iranian Newcomers Support Center in 1978. She went on to receive her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1988, writing her dissertation on bilingual women and developing a treatment strategy to address the particular needs of Farsi speaking women. In 1995, Roya founded the Multilingual Counseling Center and then in 2005 Multi-Lingual became a non profit organization. She works with Latino and Farsi speaking families, the majority of whom suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression. Roya has worked with literally hundreds of Farsi speaking women and men in her practice, Roya has seen first hand the tangible results of her unique, culturally specific work. This combined with her own experience living as a refugee and suffering political and social persecution, uniquely qualifies her to head this important organization.
