Healing by Writing

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Description: A supportive gathering for everyone who ever wanted to write down feelings and memories and make a record of life. In truth, there are few better—or simpler—ways to discover ourselves and awaken creative practice. In this therapeutic group, Liberation Institute therapists Dan and Mario will nurture a safe and inspirational space designed to get us writing together, keep the words coming, and share whatever winds up on the page. No judgment, no critique: just openness, self-exploration, and support. The more we write, the better we will know ourselves and each other.

Day/time/start date: Wednesdays, 5:30-7 PM

Suggested donation per session: $10 per session. Nobody is turned away for lack of funds.

Where: Online

Facilitator: Mario de la VegaCo-facilitator: Dan Duane

For more info or to RSVP contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Mario de la Vega
After more than 20-years working in film and the digital content space for global media companies, Mario pivoted careers to pursue work that is more aligned with his values of service, empathy, and, ultimately, peace. His longtime interest in psychology and positive behavior change inspired him to pursue becoming a marriage and family therapist. He is currently an MFT trainee at the Liberation Institute, a volunteer suicide crisis counselor, and will soon begin an internship at the Felton Institute working with individuals experiencing early psychosis. Mario is also a student of the Dharma and has cultivated a dedicated mindfulness practice rooted in a philosophy that explores the nature of the mind. Encouraged by his Dharma teacher, Allan Lokos, founding guiding teacher of the Community Meditation Center on the Upper West Side of NYC, Mario leads a sangha in his living room that is freely offered to all members of his community.  Mario is supervised by Paul Allen Jr, LMFT 121687

Daniel Duane
Daniel Duane is the author of many books, including the surf memoir Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast. He has written journalism for the New York Times and many other publications and holds a PhD in American Literature. Duane is currently a psychotherapist in training with the Liberation Institute. He is a longtime mindfulness practitioner and student of Buddhist dharma. 
Daniel is supervised by Toni M. Schrader, LPCC #7498

Couples Relationship Building Workshop

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This 12-week group for couples is based on The Gottman Method of building a Sound Relationship House. This group consists of 12 sessions and is meant to be an enjoyable, game-type format in which you and your partner interact with tools and exercises designed to better your relationship, bring more intimacy, increase conflict resolution, and build an overall positive perspective in your relationship.  These methods have been shown through years of research to be highly effective at improving couples satisfaction in their relationship.  The group setting encourages you to express your love for your partner and learn about them alongside other couples with the same goals.  This in itself will strengthen your relationship and is bound to provide members with some humorous moments, offering a sense of humor in the face of growth with your partner.

Day/time: Sundays at 11 AM, beginning June 30th 


Where: Online 


Cost: Suggested donation per session is $10, no one is turned away due to lack of funds

Facilitators: Jeremy Evanston & Michelle Kramer 

Jeremy Evanston is a therapist intern working at Liberation Institute and Aegis Treatment Center in Eureka California.  He completed his BA at Humboldt State University and continues to work toward his license as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor at Touro University.  Jeremy works primarily in the treatment of addiction with the goal of becoming a licensed addiction specialist. Jeremy also continues to work toward Gottman Therapy certification and is an active student at the Gottman Institute.  He holds AAMFT and CCAPP membership as he works toward his several licenses. 

Michelle Kramer is a graduate student at Touro University, passionately pursuing her studies in Marriage and Family Therapy with a deep commitment to Rogerian principles of empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard. With a solid foundation in psychology, Michelle aims to facilitate personal growth and strengthen relationships through evidence-based interventions. She believes in the innate potential for healing and self-actualization within each individual, guiding clients towards a path of greater self-awareness and fulfillment. Outside of her academic pursuits, Michelle cherishes moments with her beloved pet dog, finding solace and connection in their companionship. She also delights in exploring new places and indulging in the magic of Disneyland, where she embraces the joy and wonder that enhance her well-being. These experiences not only rejuvenate Michelle but also enrich her empathetic approach, allowing her to connect deeply with others and provide compassionate support on their journey towards healing and personal growth. 

Jeremy and Michelle are supervised by Antoinette Schrader, LPCC #7498

For more info or to RSVP contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Psychedelic Integration for People in Recovery

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When: Once a month on the Third Friday

Time: 515pm-645pm

Where: Tabor Space Library https://taborspace.org/library 

This community gathering invites people in recovery who are interested in, or currently integrating psychedelics into their healing practice. We will discuss how psychedelics impact addictive behaviors and risks of relapse.  We will explore relationships with altered states of consciousness, sobriety vs moderation, various recovery models, and systemic pressures leading to overconsumption and addictive tendencies.   The purpose of the gathering is to be in dialogue about these topics and how they impact our relationship to self, others, substances and altered states.

While we’re not requiring everyone to be sober or abstinent from all substances, we do ask that everyone attending the meeting not be engaging with whatever substance that triggers the addictive behavior.  Our intention for this monthly gathering is for everyone to have a confidential and safe space where people are able to self manage and discuss openly.  This group offers support for people who already have an active healing process around their addiction and are looking for a community to share it with and get support from.

This group is offered to the community in collaboration with Portland Psychedelic Society https://www.meetup.com/psychedelic/events/299239325/

RSVP to elizabeth@liberationinstitute.org

Facilitators:

Elizabeth Hoke is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Oregon who has over a decade of personal and professional experience with addiction recovery.  She is dedicated to helping people in need receive mental health services through Liberation Institute where therapy is provided for all on a sliding scale. Elizabeth also works with Dr. Rosonke at Rainfall Medicine, sitting with patients as they explore their relationship with addiction through the use of ketamine and psychotherapy. https://www.liberationinstitute.org/our-clinic/team/

Pryor Shade is a therapist trainee at Liberation Institute, veteran, educator, and artist who understands the struggles that we as humans can experience, trying to fit in, earn a living, access resources, develop relationships, and appreciate our own value as creative beings. Along the way he has learned a great deal about humility, about the need for curiosity and a desire to acquire new knowledge and skills. It’s not so much about having the right answer, but to help people share their story and feel heard, seen and valued. One of the greatest lessons he has acquired is to get out of his own way: to let go of his agenda, and be an active participant in the process. No matter what the task, a collaborative approach tends to be far better than a mission executed by an army of one.

☀️Morning Meditation & Journaling Group 🪶

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When: Thursday Mornings, 8am-9am
July and August (exception July 25)

Where: online

Offering: We will gather for an hour of morning practice. We will begin with a guided meditation, cultivating relaxation, balanced focus, and compassion. Following this, a writing prompt will be supplied. The prompts will guide us to explore and express both creatively and meditatively, and depending on what you are needing that day, your writing might look more like a creative writing entry or an exercise in self-inquiry. You are welcome to wander off the prompt if that day your heart wants to wander!

In the last ten minutes there will be an optional short check-in where we can share a piece of our writing or whatever is on our heart. The intention of this group is to support each other integrating meditation, mindfulness, and writing practice into our lives.

❤️ Offered to the community by donation, no one turned away for lack of funds.

RSVP or more info: eric@liberationinstitute.org

🦋About the Facilitator
Eric Satya Hertz is a psychotherapist intern at Liberation Institute, supervised by Elizabeth Hoke LMFT T1440. He is also a writer, poet, myth-teller, and musician. He completed his MFA in creative writing and taught creative writing at Boston University.
Eric spent two years living and practicing full-time at Great Vow Zen Monastery, and has done a cumulative of one year of silent meditation retreat. He loves to view both therapy and creativity as natural expressions of meditative presence, and has a mission of exploring the unification of the archetypes of the singing Bard and the silent Yogi within.
Eric has trained in parts-work (Voice Dialogue, IFS), as well as psychodynamic therapy (NARM for healing developmental trauma), and is an ongoing student of the Diamond Approach, a psychospiritual school that combines ancient spiritual methods with modern psychological theory to facilitate the unfolding of our true nature.

✏️Letting Our Life Write Itself: A Creative Writing Half-Day Retreat 📝

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Two Dates:
Saturday, July 14, 2024 in Portland
Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Corbett

Time: 9:30am to 130pm

In these half-day retreats, we will gather together to explore how to use writing as a means of exploring our own psyches. The workshop will be from 9:30am-12:30pm, and then we will enjoy a potluck lunch together and integrate the experience.

This workshop will weave in many threads into the tapestry of creative and meditative writing, including mindfulness, parts-work, somatic awareness, Jungian active-imagination, and the living intelligence of more-than-human nature. We will do writing exercises, as well as other forms of dyadic and group inquiry.

Meditative writing is a form of psycho-spiritual practice which joins the mind with the heart, and allows us to actually use our thinking to orient toward the depths of True Nature. Instead of trying to not think, we cultivate the ability to think precisely, creatively, and joyously. We learn to reclaim our capacity to think and verbalize not as mere conditioned habitual reactions, but as truly free expressions of curiosity and inquiry, of humor, beauty, and celebration.

In this workshop we will let the spirits of fiction and fantasy dance together with deep truth and self-reflection; that is, the exercises will integrate writing-as-meditative practice, and writing-as-creative-expression. Maybe we made a mistake in the first place thinking that creativity and truth-seeking could ever be separated!

Donation: Optional but encouraged $5-$25 donation to the Liberation Institute, a local nonprofit that offers very affordable psychotherapy to Oregonians. No one turned away for lack of funds.

To RSVP or get more info, email eric@liberationinstitute.org

Mindfulness and the Art of Emotional Maintenance

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Day/time/start date: Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 PM, starting 6/20/2024

Description: The term mindfulness is everywhere nowadays. But what does it even mean? In this group, we will explore what it means to be mindful. We will learn skills to cultivate increased awareness of our senses and the nature of the mind. Through this unreactive, curious awareness we can begin to unhook and manage thoughts, emotions, and experiences, rather than thoughts, emotions, and experiences controlling us.

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Suggested donation per session: $10 (No one is turned away due to lack of funds)

Facilitators: Mario de la VegaCo-facilitator: Dan Duane

For more info or to RSVP contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Facilitators: 
Mario de la Vega
After more than 20-years working in film and the digital content space for global media companies, Mario pivoted careers to pursue work that is more aligned with his values of service, empathy, and, ultimately, peace. His longtime interest in psychology and positive behavior change inspired him to pursue becoming a marriage and family therapist. He is currently an MFT trainee at the Liberation Institute, a volunteer suicide crisis counselor, and will soon begin an internship at the Felton Institute working with individuals experiencing early psychosis. Mario is also a student of the Dharma and has cultivated a dedicated mindfulness practice rooted in a philosophy that explores the nature of the mind. Encouraged by his Dharma teacher, Allan Lokos, founding guiding teacher of the Community Meditation Center on the Upper West Side of NYC, Mario leads a sangha in his living room that is freely offered to all members of his community. 

Mario is supervised by Paul Allen Jr, LMFT 121687

Daniel Duane
Daniel Duane is the author of many books, including the surf memoir Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast. He has written journalism for the New York Times and many other publications and holds a PhD in American Literature. Duane is currently a psychotherapist in training with the Liberation Institute. He is a longtime mindfulness practitioner and student of Buddhist dharma. 
Daniel is supervised by Toni M. Schrader, LPCC #7498

Veterans Process Group

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Yoga for Grief

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5 week online group with Ken Breniman

Embark on a transformative journey of communally supported self-discovery with our 5-week online Growing with Grief series. With a focus of healing through the Celtic Medicine Wheel, the course is rooted in the ancient wisdom of Celtic tradition and guided by the transformative power of yoga. This series offers a brave and dynamic space to navigate the depths of grief and loss and find meaning in life changes. Each week, we’ll journey through one of the four directions of the Medicine Wheel—North, East, South, and West—culminating in the center, where balance, sovereignty and integration await. Through gentle movement, guided meditations, soothing sound baths and soulful reflection, we will embrace the wisdom of the seasons, honor the cycles of life and death, and emerge stronger and more wholehearted on the other side. Join us on this sacred path of healing and renewal.

Dates: Wednesdays May 29, June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26

Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm Pacific Time

Location: In the comfort of your own home. (Zoom link will be sent upon registering)

Suggested offering: $111 (You are invited to contribute an amount that aligns with your ability to pay.) Venmo, PayPal, Zelle: kjbreniman@gmail.com

D&D Therapy Group (Ages 11-17)

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Group Description: Dungeons & Dragons Therapy uses tabletop roleplaying to promote growth, learning and exploration. Drawing on traditions of Jungian sand tray therapy, Gestalt parts work, and Drama Therapy, D&D Therapy encourages emotional, cognitive, and somatic expression in a fun, supportive and creative environment.

This group meets virtually Tuesdays from 6-7:30 PM and welcomes all new members ages 11-17, no prior experience required! Mark your calendar, as this group begins May 7!

Facilitator Bios:

Geoffrey Morris is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor trainee at the Liberation Institute, working under the supervision of a licensed person. He is currently pursuing a MS in Counseling at California State University, East Bay. He completed his MS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University in 2006, where he focused in Computer Music and Sound Art. For the past decade he has worked as an instructor with the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies program teaching Game Design to students aged 12-18 across South America and Asia. Prior to starting at the Liberation Institute, Geoffrey worked as a counselor at the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Hotline. His abiding interest in creativity and the unconscious led him to a career in counseling, where his expertise in music, cognitive science, and creative playinform his work in helping clients discover meaning and purpose. He lives in San Francisco. Geoffrey is supervised by Paul “JR” Allen, LMFT #121687


Marc Manning: “I am an MFT / PCC trainee currently studying at Cal State Eastbay Hayward. I have an MFA from CCA in fine art and maintain an active artist practice that focuses on embroidery, painting, and sound performance. I am interested in exploring how the unconscious unfolds and can be accessed through creative acts. I believe in the power of art, music, and fantasy to process and heal the effects of traumatic events. I have a background of working with the developmentally disabled community as a social worker at the Golden Gate Regional Center. I am originally from Asbury Park NJ, and am currently living in San Francisco’s mission district with my husband and two cats.” Marc is supervised by Ariadna Armenta, LCSW#102477

Contact information for group: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Art as Healing Practice

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Art as Healing Practice is for anyone interested in learning about themselves and receiving supportive feedback on their art. Liberation Institute therapists Edward and Pam will facilitate a collaborative, safe space where you can share what you’re working on and receive thoughtful reflections and encouragement from other creatives. The emphasis will be on exploring one’s personal myth through expressive arts drawing from Jungian and narrative psychotherapies. This group has a suggested donation of $10 per session and is open to California residents. 

Group time: Tuesdays at 6 PM, held virtually via Zoom

Group contact/to join: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Facilitator Bios:

Pam Strugar is an MFT Trainee at Liberation Institute studying counseling psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. Pam holds a BFA and MFA in fine arts and has had a long career in art-making as a solo artist working in painting, sculpture, installation, and performance art. Pam has also worked in a collaborative art group called Multipoint for over 20 years. Pam is also a fully certified Evolutionary Astrologer and fully licensed in somatic Deep memory processing (past life regression). Pam has worked with psychic surgeons in the Yucatán for over 20 years. Pam has spent dozens of years working with inner images, art images and understanding dream images while doing my own inner work. Pam has studied images from many cultures; cultural competency is vital when looking at images. Pam has taught art and led dream image seminars. Pam is Caucasian, is involved with the Queer community, and has Eastern, Western European as well as Baltic heritages. Pam’s psychological bent is towards humanistic, integrative, psychodynamic, Jungian, and archetypal psychologies. 

Edward Suprenant  is a Level-1 ATG coach with extensive training in the contemplative lineages of Zen Buddhism (lay ordination with Tenshin Reb Anderson, 2019) and Hatha Yoga (TT with Tias Little of the Prajna Yoga School, 2013). He is currently an MFT trainee at the Liberation Institute of San Francisco and a student of Counseling Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. His thesis research focuses on the integration of transpersonal and somatic approaches to psychotherapy.”

Supervisors: Pam is supervised by Lynndal Daniels,  LMFT License #78183
Edward is supervised by Syd McClune, LMFT License #118779