For Mental Health Professionals

If you are a professional, and you have stumbled unto my page – Thank you, from the bottom of my heart – Thank you.
I assume that you are here because you care that people are hurt or hamred when receiving treatment within your field of expertise. I am deeply grateful for your care.

And then, to the uncomfortable part; on this page we are primarily peers and survivors, and many of us have been deeply harmed by practitioners in your field. This is not a personal attack on you; but it is necessary for you to be respectful of this context.

So, respectfully, please sit down and listen first. Your instinct may be to explain, defend or educate. We ask you resist that impulse. In this context your degree and your experience is not what is important. We are here to strengthen and support the voices of survivors first. Your ability to hear us, respect us and learn from us, matters more than your degrees and professional competence.

The goal of this website is to be explicitly trauma informed; and that means we focus on the voices of trauma survivors – specifically survivors that have been harmed by the mental health industry.

What we invite instead: Listen. Reflect. Sit with discomfort. Ask questions that deepen your understanding, not questions that defend the profession. Be willing to have your assumptions challenged.

I sincerely hope you stay and engage with us; but please be clear, in this context you are not invited to teach.
A few Calls to Action for Professionals:
If you see unethical conduct at a clinic, we ask that you stand up for those who are harmed. Your silence doesn’t help – and in saying this, we are aware that this might have a personal cost to you, and we still ask that you break the curse of silence.
When a client discloses harm by a mental health provider, believe them. Help them identify what ethical or legal lines were closed, and support them in understanding their options.
Support clients through complaint processes when appropriate – this includes helping them document what happened and navigate licensing board and regulatory complaints.
Encourage clients who have experienced institutional harm to connect with other survivors. Isolation is part of how this harm sustains itself.
Visit our contribute page to see what is currently needed.

Nothing About Us, Without Us