ep. 2 Liberation Institute Founder Stever Dallman

/in /by

The conversation with Stever Dallman, founder of The Liberation Institute explores mental wellness beyond diagnosis and pathology, emphasizing the power of love in healing and the limitations of the current mental health system. It also discusses hopeful alternatives in mental health and the practice of love as a key element in healing. The importance of community and the need for change in the mental health system are highlighted, along with the role of everyday people in building a world where mental health is treated as a basic human right.

Takeaways

  • Love is a powerful force in healing
  • Mental wellness goes beyond diagnosis and pathology

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction to Mental Wellness
  • 08:41 The Power of Love in Healing
  • 16:18 The Limitations of the Mental Health System
  • 32:39 The Practice of Love and Healing

Reconnect, create, and grow—both inside and out.

/in , /by

When: Various Fridays in May and June

Where: Portland Office, Address shared with RSVP

Suggested donation: $10 per session (or what you can afford). No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

To RSVP or learn more: Email Genevievel@liberationinstitute.org

This group offers a gentle, hands-on space to explore creativity, mindfulness, and emotional well-being through plant-based crafts. Guided by Liberation Institute’s Genevieve Layman, a horticultural therapist and award winning author, each session weaves together simple plant projects with opportunities for reflection, grounding, and connection.

Working with soil, plants, and natural materials can support nervous system regulation, reduce stress, and foster a deeper sense of presence. No prior gardening or artistic experience is needed—just a willingness to show up and engage with the process.

Whether you’re seeking calm, community, or a new way to care for yourself, this group invites you to slow down and nurture something meaningful.

About the Facilitator: Genevieve Layman is a therapist trainee supervised by Elizabeth Hoke, License #1440. She brings a multidisciplinary, heart-centered approach to her work, shaped by her background as a horticultural therapist, award-winning author of the book Gather & Make, and longtime student of Nonviolent Communication. Genevieve is currently completing training in Somatic Experiencing, with a focus on nervous system awareness, embodiment, and trauma-informed care. Genevieve especially enjoys facilitating groups, where participants can experience belonging, connection, and relational healing in real time with real people. Her work is informed by a deep relationship with the natural world and a belief in the wisdom of the body, mutual empathy, and the healing potential of authentic human connection.

Radicalizing Mental Health Care

/in , /by

The Love and Liberation: Liberating Mental Health podcast introduces the show’s purpose and discusses the radicalization of mental health care, the limitations of the medical model, and the concept of mental wellness beyond the medical model. The hosts emphasize the importance of heart-centered conversations and community-based healing. The conversation explores themes of healing, personal journey, vulnerability, collective healing, and reconnecting with ancestral wisdom. It emphasizes the importance of community, inner healing wisdom, and the need for a different approach to mental health and well-being.

Takeaways

  • Radicalizing mental health care
  • Limitations of the medical model Healing is a journey of liberation and growth
  • Community and collective healing are essential for well-being

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction to Liberation Institute Podcast
  • 10:25 Limitations of the Medical Model
  • 17:02 Mental Wellness Outside the Medical Model
  • 23:57 Healing and Liberation
  • 30:19 Personal Journey and Identity
  • 40:37 Vulnerability and Community
  • 47:10 Collective Healing and Wisdom
  • 52:33 Reconnecting with Ancestral Wisdom

The Long Beginning

/in , /by

When: Every first Friday, starting Friday April 3rd 

Time: 4-5:30 pm

Where: Online- Zoom

Suggested donation: $10 per session (or what you can afford). No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

To RSVP or learn more: Email brittneyv@liberationinstitute.org

The Long Beginning is a process-oriented space for women in the midst of early adulthood who are navigating anxiety, identity, relationships, and the pressures of becoming someone in the world. Group sessions will include relational sharing, gentle somatic awareness, reflection, and facilitated group dialogue. Curiosity, honesty, and a willingness to show up as you are are all that is required.

About the Facilitator: Brittney Van Matre is a depth-oriented facilitator who works with anxiety, identity development, career change, and life transitions. She brings 20+ years of executive leadership and coaching experience to her practice. Brittney works with women in early adulthood who are navigating career stress, relationships, and the uncertainty of this life stage. She brings warmth, steadiness, and deep respect for the unfolding process of change. Brittney is a therapist trainee, supervised by Brad Byrum #T2185.

I Wonder What This Sounds Like

/in , /by

When: Mondays

Time: 4p-530p

Where: Where: Portland Office 

Suggested donation: $10 per session (or what you can afford). No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

To RSVP or learn more: Email Jean-Paul@liberationinstitute.org 

I Wonder What This Sounds Like is a group that explores how rhythm, sound and deep listening can support emotional regulation, connection, and self expression through shared creative experience. Using simple sound making practices, participants engage in guided exercises with voice, percussion, found sound and listening to explore how rhythm and sound affect the body, emotions, and relationships. 

Drawing from trauma research, somatic approaches, and rhythm based healing practices, the group emphasizes direct experience rather than performance or musical skill. Sessions focus on curiosity, presence, nonverbal communication, and collective exploration, creating space for participants to reconnect with their bodies, increase emotional awareness, and experience connection through shared rhythm and listening. No musical experience is required.

About the Facilitator: JP Jenkins is a counselor in training, musician, and facilitator based in Portland, Oregon. Alongside his clinical training, he has spent more than two decades organizing experimental music and arts events, leading creative groups, and working with improvisation, sound, and deep listening practices. His clinical interests include mindfulness, somatic awareness, recovery, and experiential approaches that help people develop greater connection to themselves and others. JP’s approach emphasizes curiosity, presence, and creating spaces where people can explore experience beyond words, regardless of artistic or musical background. JP is supervised by Brad Byrum LMFT #T2185

Animal Loss and Grief Support Group

/in , /by

When: Tuesday

Time: 6-7 PM

Where: via Zoom/Drop-in

Suggested donation: $5-10 per weekly session. Donations welcome but no one turned away due to lack of funds 

To join contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Description: This group is dedicated to honoring the deep bonds we share with our animal friends and the profound impact they have on our lives. The loss of an animal companion can be deeply painful, and yet often misunderstood or minimized by others. People often tell us things like “just get another pet,” leaving many feeling unseen in their grief. This group offers a safe, compassionate space to honor and process animal-specific grief – a very real and often invalidated form of loss. Whether you’ve lost a beloved companion animal, you are experiencing anticipatory grief for a companion animal, or you work in a setting where animal loss or euthanasia is part of the job – such as veterinary care, animal shelters, or rescue organizations – you are welcome here. Guided by two compassionate therapists who have also experienced the pain of animal loss, this group offers a safe, supportive space to process animal-specific grief – a form of loss that deserves to be seen, validated, and supported. Through guided discussions, somatic experiencing and therapeutic exercises participants can share memories, explore emotions, and utilize tools that promote resilience. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with others who truly understand what it means to lose animal friends – and to be reminded that your grief is valid, your bond was real, and you are not alone.


Facilitators: Steve Dumain & Kelly Duane de la Vega

Steve “Dumain” is pursuing his Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He currently serves as a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee at the Liberation Institute, providing telehealth therapy for individuals, couples, and groups across California. His clinical orientation draws from various styles, including depth, somatic and family systems psychology; including trauma-informed practices, and mindfulness-based approaches. His work emphasizes the integration of the unconscious, body awareness, and relational healing to foster self-understanding and resilience and a mindset of growth and wisdom. He is particularly interested in working with clients navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, identity development, and relational issues. With a strong commitment to inclusivity and social justice, Steven aims to support individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and identities through an integrative and compassionate therapeutic approach.

Kelly Duane de la Vega is pursuing her Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a focus on depth work, taking a psychodynamic approach to therapy. She currently serves as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) Trainee at the Liberation Institute, providing telehealth therapy for individuals, couples, and groups throughout California. She also co-facilitates a grief and loss support group at a senior community center in San Rafael.

Kelly is a lifelong pet owner who considers animals to be vital members of the family and essential parts of one’s support network. She understands the profound bond that can form between a person and their pet, and the unique pain of navigating that loss in a society that often minimizes or misunderstands its significance. She brings both personal experience and clinical sensitivity to her work with clients processing pet loss and bereavement.

Kelly Duane is Supervised by a Licensed Person, LMFT #78183

 LGBTQ+ Substance Use Recovery Space

/in , /by

When: Wednesdays

Time: 7pm – 8:30pm 90 min

Where: via Zoom/Drop-in

Suggested donation: $5-10 per weekly session. Donations welcome but no one turned away due to lack of funds 

To join contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Description: This group provides a deeply supportive space for individuals to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a non-judgmental environment, fostering a sense of belonging and reducing feelings of isolation. Through the dynamics of group interaction, we aim to create an environment where participants can improve interpersonal skills, practice empathy, and experience mutual support amongst group members. Though we welcome people who are “sober curious”–– those who have not yet committed to the path of sobriety––we ask that participants not be under the influence of mind-altering substances for at least 24 hours prior to arriving in group.


Facilitators: Kara Schamell & Steven Anderson

Steven is a Marriage and Family Therapist trainee and a second-year master’s student in Counseling Psychology. As a gay man and active member of both the LGBTQ+ and recovery communities, he brings several years of lived experience in sobriety to his clinical training. Steven has facilitated recovery group meetings for over two years and is passionate about supporting queer-identifying individuals as they navigate substance use challenges and find healing within the queer community. Before pursuing a career in counseling, Steven worked in creative roles in the fashion industry in New York City and Los Angeles, where he developed a deep appreciation for identity, expression, and resilience. Steven is supervised by Adina Ascher, LCSW 28900
 

Kara Schamell is a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee in her second year of a master’s program in counseling psychology. With six years of personal experience in group therapy and five years of experience facilitating racial justice consciousness-raising groups, she is passionate about providing spaces for healing to unfold within community. Kara is a strong ally to numerous family members and friends who are in recovery, whose journeys inspire her work as a therapist. As a lesbian, she feels especially called to serve the LGBTQ+ community, which is disproportionately affected by substance abuse and mental health challenges. Prior to transitioning to a career in mental health counseling, she worked in the field of women’s health for nearly 15 years––guiding hundreds of people through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and peri-menopause. Kara is supervised by Miles Ruttinger, LMFT #133402

 

Care for Caregivers

/in , /by

When: Thursdays

Time: 6-7:30 PM

Where: via Google Meet

Suggested donation: $5-10 per weekly session. No one turned away for lack of funds. 

To join contact: groups@liberationinstitute.org

Caring for the physical and mental wellbeing of others as a family member or in a professional capacity is uniquely taxing work. There can be devastating effects on those providing long-term care, especially for those helping individuals with higher support needs: financial pressures, legal quandaries, health problems, and emotional turmoil. Joining a support group can be incredibly beneficial for caregivers. Caregiver groups work to help those who care for loved ones or clients with chronic conditions, disabilities or disease, as well as those supporting the living needs of children and older adults. These groups provide a safe space to connect with others who understand the unique challenges of caregiving, share experiences and find emotional support. They also provide a space to share coping strategies and strengthen caregiver self-care. The primary value of caregiver support groups is to provide a place where caregivers can give voice to stressful experiences, strong feelings and personal frustrations in the company of others who can relate and respond without judgment. Care for Caregivers provides a nonjudgmental and compassionate framework for caregivers to find understanding and support from others who are in similar situations. Both family and professionals are encouraged to participate. 

This group provides a nonjudgmental framework for caregivers to find understanding and support from others who are in similar situations. 

Both family and professionals are encouraged to participate.


Facilitators:
Kaitlyn Leilani May Plante is currently pursuing her Masters in Counseling Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, and works as a MFT Trainee at the Liberation Institute, providing accessible, neurodivergent-affirming therapy for individuals, couples, families, and groups across California via tele-health. Her practice integrates a multi-modal Expressive Arts Therapy practice with somatics, neurobiology, Narrative therapy, and Liberation psychology. Kaitlyn’s work is collaborative, client-centered, strengths-based, and solution-focused. She is committed to providing trauma-informed care, emphasizing resilience and empowerment. After a life-threatening accident left Kaitlyn physically and emotionally scarred, she decided to pursue a career in mental health, in hopes of helping others who have experienced trauma. Her goal is to open an integrative therapy and retreat space offering Expressive Arts and other holistic therapies. Kaitlyn is supervised by Miles Ruttinger, LMFT #133402

Psychedelic Integration for People in Recovery

/in , /by

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.

Recovery’s Remedy: A Monthly Gathering for Addiction Support

/in /by

Addiction can be a formidable adversary, but the journey to recovery is not one that you have to face alone. “Recovery’s Remedy” offers a monthly gathering where you can find the support and camaraderie you need to take those important steps towards healing. Let’s delve into the details of this vital support group.

Time: Monthly gathering for addiction support, held on the first Tuesday of each month.

Contact: To RSVP, please email Elizabeth at elizabeth@liberationinstitute.org .

Location: TaborSpace

Who this group is for: “Recovery’s Remedy” is a supportive community designed for individuals seeking addiction support. Whether you are on the path to recovery or supporting a loved one, you are welcome to join this gathering.

How many times this group will run for: This group meets on a monthly basis, offering consistent and reliable support for those navigating the challenges of addiction and recovery.

“Recovery’s Remedy” serves as a beacon of hope and support for those on the journey to recovery. The focus here is on creating a safe and welcoming space where you will find the support you need. To join this monthly gathering and take steps towards healing and recovery, simply reach out to Elizabeth at elizabeth@liberationinstitute.org  to RSVP. You don’t have to face addiction alone, and “Recovery’s Remedy” is here to remind you of that.