As we learn that 63% of white women voted for a man accused of child molestation, espoused racist and bigoted thinking, and who openly advocated for removing women’s right to vote… we are reminded of how white women have been complicit in furthering the goals of white supremacy. We are reminded that even those with marginalized power will sometimes side with those in power to protect the illusion of inclusion. Continue reading →

Sexual assault represents the dehumanization of the victim, by the perpetrator, through a lens of stolen or forced power. It is the weaponization of sex with a means to control sex, and by controlling sex (the act of it, the owning of it) the perpetrator establishes themselves as incarnate – one can hardly be any more in their body than during the act of sexual assault. Continue reading →

In my role as a social worker, and as a therapist, I have had the privilege and the honor of working with veterans. I also trained with them, as I did with nurses.
I’ve never said ‘thank you for your service’ to them.
Service was never something we discussed.
We spoke about displacement, about suffering, we spoke about loss, and we spoke about sacrifice. Continue reading →

I am not victim to the circumstances in my life, I am a prisoner to my interpretation of those circumstances – if I can successfully challenge my perceptions then I can be free to overcome the circumstances.

Men – In my life before being a social worker I knew women who had been assaulted, who had been raped, and women who had been abused as children.
I knew women who had been harmed by men, and I knew women who had harmed other women – because they had been harmed by men.
Toxic masculinity, misogyny, and patriarchy is endemic to our global culture, and it harms all of us. Continue reading →

To all women, to all woman – across the spectrum:
I’m sorry this happened to you, this space is safe if you need it, I’m honored to hear your voices, I will listen if you want to be heard, I will help if you need it, I will remember your truth, I will witness you reclaim your power. I will stand beside you, if you need it. I am in awe of your strength.
#metoo

I have been putting off writing this entry, the idea being that I would take some time to process the information, to work through emotions, and to meditate on where the spire emerges from amongst the sea of it all. The fact of the matter is that I am enabled to ‘put off’ responding to the events in Charlottesville because of my white privilege. Continue reading →

The recent suicide of the musician Chris Cornell has brought some people to ask why and how could he have done this – to question how could it be that a person with seemingly everything to live for, felt that he had enough to die for – thereby ending his life.
My perspective, as a clinician, is this: Continue reading →