LCSW Joins Voice Up

Danica Nestor is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Certified Case Manager (CCM) with over a decade of experience spanning medical social work, behavioral health, rehabilitation, and private practice. She currently serves as Director of Care Management at Emory University Rehabilitation Hospital in partnership with Select Medical, where she provides strategic oversight for patient care coordination, discharge planning, and interdisciplinary team leadership.

Danica began her career with a Bachelor of Social Work from Florida Atlantic University, followed by a Master of Social Work from Clark Atlanta University with a concentration in Health and Mental Health. She is now completing her PhD in Social Work from Howard University, where her research focuses on Black men and mental well-being — work she describes as breaking stigmas and normalizing mental health care for trauma-related illnesses. Her dissertation defense is scheduled for June 15, 2026.

Her path to social work was not a straight line. She initially pursued nursing before trusting her instincts and pivoting — a choice that required intentionality, financial discipline, and a willingness to start over. That pivot became a defining lesson she carries into every student conversation: stay open, follow your intuition, and don't box yourself into one thing. The MSW degree, she says, is fluid — and that fluidity is your advantage.

Danica has worked with children, in behavioral health, schools, hospitals, private practice, and at the policy level. She has published peer-reviewed research, presented at national conferences, served as a teaching assistant at Howard University, and holds a fellowship from the Council of Social Work Education Minority Fellowship Program. She is also a data enthusiast — someone who finds meaning in trends, gaps, and numbers — and plans to continue building her research profile through articles, speaking engagements, and consulting work focused on mental health equity.

As your clinical supervisor at Voice Up, Danica brings not only clinical licensure and formal credentials — she brings the lived understanding of what it means to pivot, persist, and grow on your own terms. She is here to push your thinking, reflect your progress back to you, and help you become someone who can explain their experience — verbally and in writing — at a high level.