Dear ones, I’m ready to go! How about you?
For anyone looking back…back…back through time at this blog post, I want to give you some context. It is November of 2016. Last week, Donald J. Trump became our president-elect. There’s almost no one in the country who hasn’t had an emotional response, whether it’s elation at having the sense of being heard and seen, or fear at what drastic changes will come. Everyone’s relative sense of safety has shifted for better or worse. And, our country is remarkably polarized.
My clinic is in Portland, Oregon. I’ve lived in Portland on and off since 2001, and I’ve lived in quite a few places in the United States and in the world. I am a white, cis-female, neurotypical human being. But even though I am these things, I want to assure you –whoever is blessing me by reading my post here– that I am doing my best to seek training and experiences so that you are safe in my care. You’ve maybe looked around my website to get a sense of who I am and what I offer to my patients. I want to, straightaway, tell you my core values:
I value quality of life.
I value informed autonomy and agency – a.k.a. independence –
within an interdependent society.
I value a strong and resilient sense of self.
I believe these things are the root of healthy self-esteem, healthy relationships and the basis of a secure place in society.
I’m currently starting up my practice, but once it’s rolling smoothly I hope to donate some of my net income (after my professional bills are paid but before I get paid) to charities that will support vulnerable people in our country. There are so many to choose from that I haven’t decided yet, but I think the ACLU reflects my values pretty well. They are also generous in lending lawyers to other organizations who defend the vulnerable among us.
I look forward to meeting you, and hope I can be a bridge to your becoming whole!