Inclusive Therapy

08/20/2024

Q: Are cats allowed in session?
A: Absolutely! 😅 *glances at my cat laying at my side*

Hey, hey, everyone that may come across this post here on the inter-webs… I’m still here, still hanging in there. Sorry it’s been so long! 😫 How are you?

It’s been a wild ride of a calendar year. For me, it’s been lots of traveling to be with family & friends. Mostly joyful, some somber & sad, but overall gratitude for the many opportunities I’ve had over the past 7 months to spend time with loved ones near & far.

[TW: collective trauma] Yes, there is still an US-funded genocide happening in Palestine. 🇵🇸 Yes, it’s been a rocky road of political shifts, changes & unknowns here in the US, especially as we move through another election year. 🗳️🇺🇸 And yes, there have continued to be so many tragically awful things happening around the world in Sudan 🇸🇩 + the DRC 🇨🇩 + Haiti 🇭🇹 + Grenada 🇬🇩 and continued police violence in Black folks’ homes… RIP 🕯️ Sonya Massey, you should still be here.

For those that are tuned into the world and/or most directly impacted, it’s a lot for individual & collective bodies to hold! There’s so much information to take in. So many people, places, and things to mourn. So much pain to process, and so much injustice to push back on. And as you know, try as we might, we cannot do it alone! 🫱🏿‍🫲🏼💞🪵

So sending love to all of those out there just trying to survive & taking things one day at a time. Even just simply navigating all the many responsibilities and needs of day-to-day life can be a lot!

May your ☀️ ⛅️ days / nights 🌕💫 be filled with opportunities to breathe 😮‍💨 and/or sleep 😴

And may you find ways to remember that *cues nibling’s HSM music* 🎶 we’re all in this together! 🎶

❤️ - Maria

P.S. I have some individual mental health therapy openings - email me for info!

01/02/2024

12/10/2023

Ladybugs have highly sensitive antennae that serve as their primary tools for sensing the world around them, much like a set of sophisticated radar. From detecting chemical signals, vibrations, and textures to locating food, navigating, and communicating with other ladybugs, these small antennae make a big difference in how they move through the world.

Thinking about how antennae are small yet crucial for navigating through the world, it mirrors how words, even when short and subtle, can have a lasting impact in the spaces we move through each day.

You have probably noticed before. For instance, a dismissive response such as "Whatever" or "So what?" may seem small to some, but it can profoundly impact the receiver.
Words can shape the landscapes of our interactions. They can identify and draw out the nuances in our sentiments, much like antennae sensing fine details.

So here are a few phrases to consider…examples of how a few words might just detect signals of connection and understanding.
And as you read through, consider…what phrases might you share with others? What phrases might you desire someone to share with you? What things might you even say to yourself?

I hear you.
I'm grateful for you.
I see your progress.
I’m glad you’re here.
I feel safe sharing with you.
I value the moments we’ve had together.
I’ve been thinking about what you said.
Your words stayed with me.
I'm here if you need to talk.
Thank you for being here.
I’m so grateful for our memories.
All that you’ve done has not gone unnoticed.
You have a thoughtful way of looking at things.
You've made a difference in my life.
I’m proud of how far you’ve come.
I’m proud for how far we’ve come.

In the same way that a ladybug's antennae subtly yet significantly interact with its environment to shape its world, we too can use our words to create an environment that cultivates understanding and connection with others. One word at a time, there is room to go deeper, even in subtle ways.
-
This is an excerpt from my Storyteller app this week!
Available on Apple and Android: http://onelink.to/stapp

12/03/2023

11/30/2023

11/30/2023

REPARATIONS OPPORTUNITY FOR WHITE 🇺🇸 U.S. SETTLERS ⬇️

Native American Heritage Month 2023

Action > Lip Service

LinkTr.ee/Kikeokan ⬅️ DONATE HERE

Kikeokàn is an Indigenous (Piscataway Conoy), two-spirit, nonbinary trans, multiple disabled artist, scholar, and healer. They currently have no income and cannot work due to their disabilities. They are at risk of losing access to gender-affirming hormone therapy due to inability to pay. For a person with gender dysphoria, this is a nightmare - hormone therapy is truly lifesaving care.

Your contributions will help make sure they don't lose this care, and will help them cover their living expenses for the next few months.

If you are a white person living on stolen Indigenous land (if you're anywhere in North America/Turtle Island, that's you), whether on Piscataway Conoy Territory or elsewhere, this is a great opportunity to go beyond performative statements about Native American Heritage Month and take meaningful action.

There are practically no statistics available that properly account for the specific experience of being Indigenous, trans, and autistic. But available info for even one of these experiences individually can suggest something about the oppressive violence surrounding those at this intersection:

• The Indigenous su***de rate in the so-called US is 2-3x the national average

• The trans su***de rate is 3-7x the general population average

• The autistic su***de rate is about 9x the general population average

• Indigenous families' wealth is about 8 cents for every dollar the average "US" family has -- despite the fact that this is their land

• The trans unemployment rate is about 3x the national average

• The autistic unemployment rate is at least 9x the national average

After 500 years of genocide, it's long past time to give the most marginalized Indigenous folx a moment to breathe and heal, and until capitalism and settler colonial domination on this land are destroyed, the only way to do that is money. Please contribute as you are able. Thank you for taking the time to read, support, and share.

11/21/2023

11/19/2023

(Virtual) Process Group for Collective Liberation

Initial Meeting: Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 12pm *on-going as needed*

A virtual, collective trauma-informed space to process the violent destruction of land and life in Palestine and Israel, in the (so-called) United States, and throughout the world.

The purpose of this group is to fortify and strengthen participants’ capacity to show up for collective liberation efforts happening in real time.

This is an emerging group focused on critical consciousness raising, embodied action, emotional processing, and resource sharing. It is anti-zionist, anti-racist, and LGBTQ+ affirming.

Depending on interest and availability, identity-based affinity spaces may be formed. Please reach out for questions, concerns or interest!

Sending love to you all! ❤️

11/13/2023

The “Reconceptualization of Mental Health In The Context of Palestine” lecture yesterday held by the International Students of Islamic Psychology () featuring Dr. Samah Jabr () was SO POWERFUL! And so pertinent.

Many of the themes discussed felt connected to the “Liberation-Focused Healing Framework” of Dr. Shawna Murray-Browne (). While the lecture focused on issues and concerns specific to Palestine, it applied to so many countries and communities throughout our world suffering from settler colonialism. 🌍 🌎 🌏

Gratitude to Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Myhimkhulu () for posting about Dr. Samah Jabr’s work back on October 29.

I highly encourage all my fellow psychotherapists to learn more about Dr. Samah Jabr and read and heed her powerful words! I’ll share a few links to her work in my stories.

Slide 1: my notes from Dr. Samah Jabr’s lecture. Words (colored in with markers) include: “mental health” • “oblivious to Palestinian flight” • “ignores violations & war crimes” • “crushing power dynamics” • “dehumanization” • (our work is) “the work of little ants” • “Sumud is action for endurance” • (90%+ of Gazans say) “family is supportive” • (necessary) “hyper-vigilance for survival” • “resist + challenge oppression” • “the lie that everyone in Gaza is responsible” • “Human Rights” • “4 died in detention” • “solidarity + marches are psychologically helpful, not yet politically.”

Slide 2: The flyer for the lecture, which says:

“SPEAKER: Dr. Samah Jabr (Palestine), is the Head of the Mental Health Unit within the Palestinian Ministry of Health. She is a psychiatrist practicing within Palestine in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. She is also a lecturer, trainer, and consultant for program development, policy planning, and psychological support. Dr. Jabr is also a founding member of the Palestine Global Mental Health Network.

Topic: Reconceptualization of Mental Health in the Context of Palestine

🗓 Date: Sunday, November 12th, 2023

⏰ Time: 2:00 PM GMT”

11/12/2023

I am really, really, really grateful for the many community spaces that have been offered virtually and in-person over the past 35 days since Hamas’ devastating attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent *on-going* horrific ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

I am really, really, really grateful for the space holders, the organizers, the educators, the speakers, the fierce leaders, and the friends, family, acquaintances and strangers showing up together in these times.

I’m especially grateful for and sending love to the many people creating, facilitating, and participating in these spaces who are very deeply, personally, directly, and ancestrally impacted by the many different traumas currently taking place.

All of this is hard work. All of this is heart work. All of this IS the work. This is collective resistance. This is solidarity in the struggle. This is sowing seeds of liberation.

It is exhausting. It is tiring. It is inspiring.
It is hopeful. It is hope-filled. It is hard.
It is action. It is anger. It is rage.
It is grief. It is embodied. It is pain.

No people(s) should have to experience the man-made horrors currently taking place in Palestine, in Congo, in Sudan, in Tigray/Ethiopia, in Yemen, in Ukraine, and in so many other places around the world.

I am grateful for the individuals and organizations (whose flyers are featured in the slides), who show us that there are other ways. to be. to grieve. to resist. to persist. to act. to fight. to love.

.17 .bmore .somatics .as.the.sea

Image Descriptions in the comments below.

11/08/2023

As we continue to watch a genocide unfold on our screens, sharing the list of official Continuing Education Units (CEUs) I completed between June and October feels pretty insignificant. It also feels important to share, in gratitude to the many people who facilitated these generative educational spaces.

For those who aren’t social workers, here’s some helpful context on CEUs:

- Every two years we have to renew our “LCSW-C” or “License in Certified Social Work - Clinical” in the State of Maryland, in order to continue being a therapist or hold other social work positions that require licensure.

- In addition to paying a $300 fee and completing a checklist about our mental status & legal history, we also have to complete 40 hours of training by providers approved by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners (MD-BSWE).

In another post, I’ll share more about other really powerful trainings I’ve engaged with that operate outside of the system & therefore are not MD-BSWE approved providers.

Even though I’ve had since November 2021 to complete these 40 hours of learning, I didn’t get started until June 2023. And since then it’s felt like a race against the clock. Will I get all 40 hours done on time? How much is each credit hour going to cost? Am I going to find trainings that feel aligned for me?

Luckily, I found some really helpful trainings & workshops via the University of Maryland School of Social Work (), White Awake () and the Maryland CEU Institute. ().

In addition to completing 3 credit hours on Ethics (and if applicable, 3 credit hours on Supervision), this year we also had to get new background checks and complete 1.5 hours of “Implicit Bias” training (a new requirement for MD Healthcare Providers).

I got it all done - my social work license is approved for another two years. And along the way, I got to participate in some powerful (virtual) learning spaces. Sending love and gratitude to the following facilitators (who I can tag on IG):