A Peek Behind the Curtain

Gone are the days where the psychiatrist across from you is a “blank slate.” At Ananse’s Wisdom Psychiatry, we believe that the lived experiences of your mental health providers shape the care that they offer, so shouldn’t you know a little bit about the life experiences that drive them!?!

Dr. Micaela Owusu was born in the US to Ghanaian immigrant parents. In toddlerhood, she moved from the US with her family and lived as a “third culture kid” for over a decade while moving every 2-4 years between different European cities. Migrating back to the US as an adolescent in an environment that was not particularly welcoming of her differences was a deeply challenging experience that impacted her mental health and led to her initial interest in psychiatry, with a special interest in work with children and adolescents.

Dr. Owusu has been blessed with an outstanding education that serves her patients well. As an undergraduate, she attended Harvard University where she studied psychology and enjoyed creative extracurricular activities. She carries a masters degree in the science and medicine of athletic performance from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom where she focused on aesthetic sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, and dance. She maintains an interest in working with athletes around the intersections of athletic performance and mental health.

Dr. Owusu completed her medical school training at Yale University School of Medicine where her thesis focused on weight and mental health in pediatric populations. She completed her adult psychiatry residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and McLean Hospitals, both affiliated teaching hospitals of Harvard University. She served as an administrative chief resident and received the prestigious Laughlin Award for her strong residency performance. She then stayed at MGH and McLean Hospitals to complete her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. She carries double board certifications in adult and child and adolescent psychiatry.

Dr. Owusu spent many years working for Boston University and Boston Medical Center as an assistant professor, child and adolescent outpatient psychiatrist, and serving as the program director for the adult psychiatry residency. She is proud to have received several teaching awards throughout her career from medical students and residents alike. Throughout her career, Dr. Owusu has supported the training of medical students and psychiatry residents in the West African region through didactic teaching and significant administrative support. She has spoken regionally, nationally, and internationally regarding her education and global work in addition to publishing journal articles and book chapters.

Alongside running Ananse’s Wisdom Psychiatry, Dr. Owusu serves as a staff psychiatrist for students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition to work with individual student patients, she has been particularly excited to develop a group therapy for graduate students identifying as LGBTQ+ that allows for dialogue around intersectional experiences in higher education.

All of these experiences have molded Dr. Owusu into an astute diagnostician who is easy to connect with, thoughtful in her treatment approaches, and deliberate in understanding the impacts of people’s identities and life experiences on their mental health.