From Our Founder,

My name is Yohandra C. Grillo, and I am honored to serve as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Open Roads Community Center, Open Roads Services, LLC, and Centro Espiritista de Cordón Monte Grillo in La Habana, Cuba. With over 25 years of experience in behavioral health, hospital management, and nonprofit leadership, my life’s work has been guided by a singular truth: healing is both a clinical journey and a spiritual calling.

I was born in Cuba and came to the United States as a young immigrant—an experience that opened my eyes to the invisible wounds carried by so many in silence. The challenges of cultural adaptation, identity loss, trauma, and generational hardship deeply shaped my path. These early truths led me not only to become a marriage and family therapist, but also to create spaces that honor every individual’s story with dignity, compassion, and cultural reverence.

Open Roads is more than a community center—it is a movement toward holistic healing, ancestral wisdom, and systemic equity. Our work is rooted in trauma-informed care and nourished by spiritual connection. Whether we are providing therapy to a struggling teen, leading parent-child healing circles, or empowering families to break cycles of pain and poverty, our mission remains the same: to offer a sacred, accessible path to wellness.

Throughout my career, I have served in clinical and academic leadership roles at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, NYU Langone Hospital, and Kean University. These experiences taught me how to bridge systems and spirits—how to use clinical structure while honoring soul. My spiritual work through Centro Espiritista de Cordón Monte Grillo extends that mission internationally, blending ancestral healing with intergenerational care in the heart of La Habana.

Thank you for walking with us on this journey of healing, equity, and hope. Together, we are opening roads—for ourselves, for our communities, and for generations to come.

Rooted in compassion, guided by purpose, and dedicated to community healing,

Yohandra C. Grillo, LAMFT
Founder & CEO