Getting to support the crucial work others are doing in our communities is core not just to our collective mission-–but fulfills us personally. Working together, our communities rise.
Our partnerships are expanding! They may involve:
- Supervising your team or front line counselors or social workers
- Placing an intern to provide therapy sessions for your organization’s clients at low or no cost to them;
- Attending or even hosting events or event series;
- Providing client or social worker trainings
Some of our current partnerships include:
Portland Street Response:
We run multiple monthly Supervision Groups with the team from PSR, in addition to providing individual supervision to team members as needed, on an ongoing basis.
“This is huge to get to bolster Portland Street Response! They are on the front lines tackling the mental health crises of some of our hardest-hit community members while helping to deescalate police violence. Their work is phenomenal and so important.”
– Rosanne Marmor, Executive Director
“Several years ago…in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia, a young, Black man named Marcus David Peters, a recent college graduate and new teacher in the public school system, began experiencing a mental health crisis. He was found wandering down the highway naked and disoriented in the middle of rush hour traffic. He was confused, erratic, and afraid, and there were no trained mental health professionals on the scene to provide support, care, or expertise. Marcus was killed by police that day and our community was forever changed.
So often those experiencing a mental health crisis and our unhoused community members are misunderstood, invalidated, and dehumanized, the work of PSR is essential in creating new systems of support and a deeper sense of compassion and understanding for those who have for too long been dismissed.”
–Erin Mahone, Director of Marketing and Media
The Haymarket Pole Collective:
Sponsored by the Y.W.C.A., this organization supports sex workers who identify as Black, Brown, Indigenous, and or LGBTQIA2S+. They support participants with finding/connecting with a therapist who is BIPOC and sex-positive, for a year-long+ commitment. Covering the sessions removes a substantial barrier for the client.
If You Could See Me: Stories for Change
IYCSM is a nonprofit organization open to the public that welcomes participants from all backgrounds and experiences. This is a multi-media storytelling community initiative dedicated to creating safe, affirming space for the telling of stories people are often encouraged to keep silent. Participants learn to tell their stories in a way that feels empowering and reminds them of their own strength and capacity to overcome, grow, and heal. They’re encouraged to tap into their creativity in a process that fosters healing, radical acceptance, overcoming, and cycle breaking.
Currently, we hold a “Storytelling in Community” group each Sunday at Pulse Wellness Cooperative; with quarterly, live showcases scheduled at 21ten Theatre in SE Portland.
A Home Within:
This organization matches a therapist offering a free (pro-bono) weekly therapy appointment with a child or adult who has been in foster care.
“I spent almost a decade working with children and adults involved in the foster care system in Oregon. One of the biggest frustrations I had was how few of them had access to consistent, skilled therapists. Most youth in foster care are matched with an intern and have to change therapists every school year (and some even more often with how much they move). The situation is even more dire when they “age out” of foster care at 21. When I joined Pulse, I needed to find a way to honor this experience and give back.
I started volunteering with AHW a few months after joining Pulse and was matched with a young adult shortly after that. Pulse and my peer volunteers at AHW have provided support at every step, and I feel privileged to show up every week for this.”
–Rebekah Lubeck, Quality Assurance Director
The Center for Black Student Excellence:
Our Safety and Wellbeing Director, Matthew Lucas, works with this organization in 2 Portland Public Schools:
- At Rosa Park Elementary, he is 1 of 2 facilitators for kindergarteners-1st graders. The curriculum we teach focuses on supporting Black and Brown students with finding community, learning about love for self and others, as well as teaching them about how unique and special they are.
- At Markham Elementary, Matthew facilitates a lunch group for 3rd-grade Black and Brown boys. In this group, we review the same as above as well as discuss conflict resolution, process feelings, and eat pizza.
“What a privilege it is to work with the kids on their next steps. I get to watch as discoveries are made and connections are formed. I didn’t think going back to elementary school would be this fun.”
–Matthew Lucas, Director of Safety and Wellbeing
Home Forward:
Home Forward is a Portland-based housing authority that provides rental assistance and subsidized housing at both HF apartment communities and at other properties.
Our interns support HF residents with fee-free therapy.
Housing Oregon:
Housing Oregon seeks affordable housing for all Oregonians. We run their monthly service coordinator meeting.
Other current and former partners include:
Basic Rights Oregon, Bridge Meadows, Cascade Aids Project, Youth Villages, Community Partners for Affordable Housing, and Catholic Charities.
