We believe that most forms of psychological harm we see today are rooted within the various systems of oppression that govern our world—including colonization, capitalism, white/white-bodied supremacy, patriarchy, ableism, and hatred of transgender people, to name a few. As clinicians formally trained in Western models of care, we own our particular lane of providing mental health services as a legitimate and meaningful path towards healing the impacts of systemic violence–and, we recognize and affirm that psychotherapy is NOT enough to undo the extent of trauma that these structures of oppression have caused. We focus our care on individuals and communities whose wellness has been negatively impacted by the aforementioned systems of domination and power. We concentrate on serving those with historically marginalized identities, including BIPOC, immigrants and their descendents (Filipinx and AAPIs in particular), queer and trans folks, and women. We also specialize in supporting new parents (and future ones, too) to do the important intergenerational and inner-child healing work that is needed for humans to be agents of lasting social change. We meet these communities’ needs by providing psychotherapy, group support, and other healing modalities, while striving to approach our work through an intentionally decolonizing lens.
Our Mission
Everyone acknowledges that humans are layered and complex; yet it is so easy to forget the humanity of another person, or of ourselves, especially when we feel threatened, hurt, or unsafe. We strive to remember that each person is made up of many parts to them. We believe that each unique part of a person has served a purpose and deserves, in its own right, to be honored. We do our best to approach, with curiosity and compassion, all parts of a person that make them whole.
Wholeness
bell hooks once said, “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” Our meaning of connectedness is grounded in the spirit of kapwa, the indigenous Filipino value that emphasizes the shared relationships of all humanity and the earth. We believe that healing comes from our connections—including our relationships to other people, ourselves and all of our parts, our local and global communities, our ancestors, and the land. Our therapists excel at creating a therapeutic space where individuals may explore and develop healthy and equitable relationships with themselves and their parts, their fellow humans, and the systems and institutions that govern our world.
Connectedness
Dr. Jennifer Mullan teaches us: "There cannot be mental and emotional healing without a politicized framework. Everything is political." We view our participation in political efforts to bring about social justice as just as important as providing therapy. This is our ethical responsibility as folks of relative power and privilege. We recognize we have the power to perpetuate or resist oppression. Wherever we can within our capacity, we strive to take action for racial justice, birthing justice, and justice for Indigenous people, LGBTQI+ people, and women and femmes.
Social Justice
We are committed to the process of transforming oppression to liberation. Decolonization refers to releasing ourselves, others, and the land from colonization and its impacts. Part of decolonizing work is challenging and unlearning the oppressive internalized colonial messaging that causes psychological harm. It also means supporting the self-determination efforts of all communities who have been historically subjugated within the globe’s various colonial projects. We strive to uphold this standard in relationship to our clients, with each other as colleagues, and through our partnerships and collaborations. Our therapists acknowledge that decolonization is an ongoing process and that we are on active decolonizing journeys of our own. We invite you to see us as partners as you find our own path towards decolonization, healing, and liberation.