Hi, I’m erin.
I’m a therapist and consultant with a really strong social justice streak. I cuss (too much), have been in numerous car accidents and really, really care about people. Including you.
Background! I was drawn to social work because I wanted to help people, in really big ways- I wanted to change the world! Throughout my career, I have built programs to support at risk families, developed more ethical policies within Child Welfare and provided training on trauma informed care with hospitals and community agencies alike. Throughout it all, though, I found that the relationships I built with clients and other professionals felt as transformative as policy making and as powerful as system change. I continue to build on relationships for change as a clinical social worker* in private practice.
I run a strongly feminist and anti-oppressive shop**- I don’t always get it right, but I keep showing up. I get regular consultation with peers and have my own kick-ass therapist.
*Some additional context for you
Clinical social workers are folks who have studied both the individual response to trauma and pain as well as the underlying systemic causes.
Think of it this way, most therapists will look at the individual and try to resolve their symptoms by building skills or awareness of the client's internal life - that’s effective for lots of folks. Social workers are taught to look at the larger systems that impact people every day (like the political climate, the actual climate, your heritage and culture, your family) and from there explore how you have adapted to fit into molds that are really only meant for a small, select group of people (mostly white, pretty, thin, rich and whatever your family wanted you to be like- in a word, privileged).
We social workers are trained to see that everyone is actually coping as well as they possibly can with impossible expectations of performance and being in a world that offers little support and a lot of existential crisis. Licensed clinical social workers receive extensive supervision and support before being able to practice on their own. You can look here for a complete list of qualifications if you’re interested: https://www.oregon.gov/blsw/Pages/LicenseDescriptions.aspx
**Okay! Onto the “feminist and anti-oppressive shop” part
Like, what does that even mean? Well, it means that during our work together, I’ll be pointing out ways in which systems like patriarchy, white supremacy and even capitalism impact our daily lives and I’ll likely be challenging you to examine your perception of yourself and others with this new knowledge. I don’t expect you to always agree with me, but I do expect and offer respectful discourse and a safe place to talk.
I am queer and poly-friendly and have sliding scale spots available for folks from marginalized communities. Beyond my therapy practice, I teach clinicians and non-clinicians alike about social justice issues and the impact they have on our lives.
A portion of those profits always go back to support marginalized groups in our community (if you’re interested in joining a group and finding out where those funds will go, click below!)