We feel the need to make a public statement about the issues that we face as a community from a trauma-informed, mental health prospective. Over the past few weeks, we have had conversations from leaders in the mental health community and feel the need to echo some of their words and profess them as values and goals that are working towards.
Words from Martha Kauppi, Licensed Marriage and Family therapist and AASECT-certified sex therapist:
Therapy is not a neutral act. We deal with the effects of prejudice, violence, abuse, and marginalization. On top of the very dramatic trauma protesters are experiencing in the streets and by the videos of violence to Black bodies circulating ceaselessly, we know that living in a racist society as a person of color is a form of trauma. Part of the business of helping heal trauma is preventing trauma in the first place, and that requires that we all take a good look at systemic trauma and the part we play in perpetuating it.
At Mended Wing, we acknowledge that we are wounded healers and desire to work towards being better to help you heal. We adhere to the words from Michael Barnett, Director of the Atlanta Center for EFT and Certified EFT Supervisor and Trainer:
Change comes from within and that means I, and we, have the hard work ahead of us in taking a brutally honest look at ourselves, making repair, shifting gears, and finding whatever it is that genuinely changes us from the inside out. I want you to know that the unheard voices from years past are being heard. I want you to know that I’m listening. I want you to know that I will do my best to stand with you.
To practically address the goal of being better, we are offering refresher training for our therapists on considerations for working with marginalized populations, providing opening dialogue about how institutional racism impacts our clients and our work, as well as providing updated resources on our website by August 2020. Our desire is to be agents of healing and change in our community.