Dia Borromeo-Mitchell
Dia Borromeo-Mitchell is a practitioner with extensive experience in child development, emotional wellness, and identity-affirming care. Her work is grounded in more than a decade of direct practice across education, mental health, and youth advocacy, and shaped by a sustained commitment to individuals who have been historically underserved in traditional systems of care. She holds a Master’s degree in Child Law and Policy from Loyola University Chicago and is currently completing a Ph.D. in Development and Mental Health. She is certified in Healing-Centered Engagement, Trauma-Informed Care, and Youth Mental Health First Aid. Her practice draws from these frameworks and is anchored in a clear, developmentally grounded approach to care. She is skilled in identifying the needs that emerge across life stages, and in responding with support that is culturally informed, emotionally steady, and structurally sound. As a provider, Dia brings a calm, clear presence into each session. She is fluent in the developmental needs of children and adolescents, experienced in supporting caregivers, and attuned to the challenges that arise when identities are marginalized or misunderstood. Her work is informed by professional training and systems-level insight, and defined by a style of care that is both structured and responsive. In her work with young adults, Dia provides support for individuals navigating identity, boundaries, relational repair, and emotional capacity. Her approach is grounded in both research and practice—offering tools for reflection and growth in a space that is consistent, respectful, and focused. Her understanding of the developmental and systemic dynamics that shape early caregiving, schooling, and adult transitions informs every aspect of this work. Dia’s professional background spans direct service, program design, and organizational training across schools, nonprofit organizations, and community-based initiatives. She has worked closely with children, young adults, and families in moments of transition, uncertainty, and recalibration. These experiences inform her ability to respond not only to individual needs, but to the systemic and developmental contexts in which those needs emerge. She approaches her work with discipline and care. Her role is not to interpret someone’s story, but to support their capacity to make meaning of it for themselves—within a space that is structured, focused, and emotionally responsive. Her practice is developmentally informed, culturally grounded, and built to support lasting growth through consistent, high-quality engagement.
Letter from the Founder
There isn’t one moment that explains why I started this work. It’s something I came into gradually, through the kinds of conversations people don’t always plan to have. Sometimes it was in classrooms, sometimes in homes, sometimes in the quiet space after a meeting when someone lingered because they didn’t know where else to go with what they were carrying. I began to notice how often people needed a space that didn’t quite exist.
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My early work was in youth development and community-based programming. I saw how much young people were navigating beneath the surface;how much they were expected to manage emotionally without ever being given the language, space, or support to do so. I worked with caregivers who were trying to show up in meaningful ways while still tending to their own unmet needs. And I began to understand that much of what people are living with doesn’t meet a formal threshold for care, but still matters. A great deal of it is quiet. It doesn’t always come with crisis or collapse. But it deserves support just the same.
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Over time, I built my professional training around that insight. I studied development and mental health at the doctoral level, and I grounded my practice in trauma-informed and healing-centered care. But more than anything, I kept learning from the people who trusted me with their stories. I saw how care often arrived too late, or in ways that weren’t accessible. I saw how easily people were overlooked if they couldn’t explain what they needed in the right words. And I wanted to build something different.
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The Paáyo Collective exists to meet people in those in-between places; where reflection is happening, where growth is unfolding, where support is needed but not always offered. This is not therapy, but it is careful, consistent work. It’s structured. It’s informed. And it’s designed to center the full complexity of the people who show up here.
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Thank you for being here. Whether you are just looking around, a young person seeking support, a caregiver looking for guidance, or a professional working to show up with more intention—your presence matters. It’s an honor to do this work, and a privilege to do it in community with those who believe in care that is thoughtful, inclusive, and real.
This is the work I needed. And now it’s the work I’m proud to offer.
I’ll meet you there,
Dia Borromeo Mitchell, M.J. , PhD-C
Founder, The Paáyo Collective