Positive Direction Support Services, LLC  is owned and operated by Licensed Clinical Social Worker Donnyette J. Love.

Growing up Donnyette was always the one her friends went to for advice. “ I was always the child who thought I knew everything”.  She says with a smile.  “ People would come to me, lean on me for advice and I would tell them what I thought.”  I wanted to be the next “Dear Abby” or “Ann Landers”.  As a Social Worker in her hometown of New Orleans for nearly 20 years, Donnyette has certainly helped many people particularly children, through her work, even if she has not landed a syndicated newspaper column just yet.   Throughout her career, she has provided services to people of all ages, but her passion is working with children.  For the past 10 years she has served as a Certified School  Social Work Specialist, employed by Orleans Parish School Board.

In 1997, Donnyette launched a faith based program called Sister to Sister Devotion, which aimed to build self-esteem and sisterhood among teenaged girls.  Sister to Sister Devotion was her “Love Child” for eight years prior to Hurricane Katrina.  It was the experience from that first entrepreneurial-albeit volunteer venture that inspired Donnyette to launch her own practice.  Positive Direction Support Services, is engaged in a partnership with the Louisiana Office of Behavioral Health to provide counseling and teaching services, clinical assessments and psychiatric evaluations for children in the New Orleans metropolitan area.  I am responding to a significant need in New Orleans for quality social work services that are offered directly in the community” (in clients’ homes, schools and other settings such as churches), she says.  “The children deserve quality services provided with fidelity and integrity, they did not ask to have the issues that they have.  We want to promote hope, healing and wholeness to all of the children and their families “in hope” that it will become infectious throughout our ailing community”.

While much of her clinical experience has involved supporting children with behavior and mental health concerns, Donnyette has served the homeless population, the elderly and those infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.  She is a proud graduate of John F. Kennedy  Senior High School Class of 1989 where she served as Senior Class President.  She received her Bachelors of Art Degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from Dillard University, in 1993 and her Masters of Social Work Degree from Tulane University in 1995.  She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church.

Over the years Donnyette has volunteered much of her time in her church and community.  She currently serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors for Fannie C. Williams Charter School, (Community Leaders Advocating Student Success” C.L.A.S.S”) , Volunteer Mentor and Counselor at “A Woman’s Place” and Center for Hope.

So while Donnyette is taking on a different role and must now focus on the details of the administrative duties related to business ownership  in addition to her passion of directly serving clients, she maintains the same dedication to helping people that she had as a child.

“I still have that save the world mentality, ”she says.  I’m just taking a different approach. Positive Direction Support Services, is guiding the path to a brighter future.