Liberation

Many of us are walking around with internalized shit that’s harming us: heterosexism, trans hostility and transmisogyny, white supremacy, ableism, sexism, capitalism, ageism, sizeism… And we’re dealing with the same shit from the systems, communities, and individuals that shape our lives. Our society does not want us to embrace our full selves and thrive.

Anti-oppression therapy holds space for the rage, grief, fear, and trauma of living in a marginalized body or mind. I reject colonial conceptions of individual pathology and place responsibility for trauma where it belongs: on the environment.

It’s also important to attend to the resilience, joy, connection, and hope that sustain us. We may not be able to escape oppression, but we can liberate ourselves from the conditioning that has harmed us.

Working from a liberation perspective means that I center your agency and consent. I offer suggestions for our work, but never tell you what’s right. I am transparent with you about modalities I might want to use. I’m happy to be more directive–if you want me to. We are a team. You know some things, I know some things, and we engage in a knowledge-sharing process in support of the work you want to do.

I will be open about my own identities, and we will talk about how the privilege or power differentials in the room influence our work together. And I will own my mistakes, because I’m not perfect and I’ll fuck up at some point.

Liberation is about community. One of my goals is to help you release the pain of your past and fears you hold so that you can reach out and build the connections we all need.

I define freedom as the space I am able to cultivate around the material that I have felt trapped by in the past.
—Lama Rod Owens

Anti-oppressive therapy is also about moving through paralysis, guilt, shame, and other emotions related to privilege and power. I strive to create a relationship that can hold you as you process your own wounds, sit with feelings about your own privilege, get free from shame and stuckness, and find ways to live your values and become an excellent ally. This is hard, scary work (I know because I do it), but so rewarding.

Resources
101 Online Mental Health Resources for Marginalized Communities
Rest for Resistance: QTPoC Mental Health
Resmaa Menakem: Anti-Racist Education
Minnesota LGBTQ+ Resources
Can Psychotherapy Support Liberation? Addressing Power Dynamics in Clinical Practice

The goal of therapy should never be to help you adjust to oppression.
—Carmen Cool

Want to get started? Find answers to common questions on my contact page. Send me an email at augustinkendalltherapy@gmail.com or fill out the form below.