TITLE: The Next Chapter

To RSVP or learn more: email monicam@liberationinstitute.org

TITLE: Caring For Our Nervous Systems In These Political Times

DESCRIPTION: The current political climate is stressful for many people. In this workshop we explore how nervous system awareness and intentional restorative practices support self-care, sustainable engagement, empowered action, and connection to self and

Where: RSVP for time and location

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 melora@liberationinstitute.org

About the Facilitator: Melora is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, nervous system educator, and lifelong political activist. Raised in a politically engaged family, Melora has been immersed in political analysis and social justice action since childhood. She brings potent professional and life experience, along with a deep commitment to creating a more just and hospitable world—one nervous system at a time.

TITLE: The Ethical Slut Book Club

DESCRIPTION: We are going to be reading The Ethical Slut and having an accompanying discussion on Ethical Non-Monogamy and Polyamory.  Whether you are new to polyamory and ethical non monogamy, you’ve been doing it forever, or you’re currently single this group is a great opportunity to talk about what is happening in your life and coming up for you in your relationship(s). The Ethical Slut is the essential classic book on polyamory and is a great icebreaker for us to talk about what we are reading and what is coming up for us.

EXPECTATIONS (how to prepare/show up/takeaways): Have a copy of the book The Ethical Slut and an open mind.

Date/Day of the Week: Wednesdays starting on October 7th through December 2nd.

Time: 5:30pm-6:50pm

Where: Online, email RSVP for video call link

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 bear@liberationinstitute.org

About the Facilitator: Bear is finishing his masters in counseling at Prescott College this semester and his passion is working with queer and polyamorous/ethically non monogamous individuals, couples, and polycules. He has been in polyarmorous and non monogamous relationships himself for 20 years and loves the opportunity to bring his own lived experience being in the polyamorous and queer communities to support people.

Authentic Movement is a relational movement practice centered on deep listening, embodied expression, and witnessing. In this practice, one person moves while another witnesses with attentive presence, creating space to be seen in authenticity without judgment or performance. Through spontaneous movement, stillness, and reflection, Authentic Movement invites communication through the body and cultivates awareness, connection, and trust in inner experience.

Facilitator Bio: Sarah-Luella Baker (Sarah-Lu) facilitates Authentic Movement spaces focused on embodiment, presence, and relational witnessing. Their work supports participants in exploring authentic expression through movement, reflection, and compassionate observation. Sarah-Lu is a transdisciplinary artist, witch, somatic practitioner, and experiential evolutionary astrologer. An RSMT/E with an MFA in dance, they weave somatics, ritual, ancestry, astrology, and radical education in service of individual and collective liberation. Sarah-Luella is a graduate student in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling at Naropa University. Supervisor #: Brad Byrum #T2185

When: 10 AM- noon Saturdays, Sept 12, Oct 10, Nov 7, Dec 12
Where: SE Portland, Location shared upon RSVP. We will provide the Zoom/Google Meet link or physical address after registration to support privacy and confidentiality.
Cost: Donation-based
RSVP Email: [sarah-lu@liberationinstitute.org](mailto:sarah-lu@liberationinstitute.org)

Daisy Posada Draine shares her personal journey, struggles, and experiences as a family peer support specialist. She emphasizes the importance of relational healing and the impact of the current mental health system on individuals’ access to care. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by individuals and the need for a more compassionate and accessible approach to mental health care. The conversation revolves around the theme of community, mutual aid, and collective imagination in the context of mental health and social justice. It emphasizes the power of everyday people to create change and build a world where mental health is a basic human right.

Takeaways

• Relational healing is essential for personal and community well-being.
• The current mental health system lacks accessibility and affordability, hindering individuals from receiving the care they need. Community and mutual aid are essential for creating a world where mental health is a basic human right.
• Collective imagination and everyday activism are key to building a future where people are supported and cared for.

Chapters

• 00:00 Personal Journey and Struggles
• 03:09 Relational Healing and Community Support
• 06:19 Impact of the Current Mental Health System
• 13:53 Challenges and Alternatives in Mental Health Care
• 25:39 Community and Mutual Aid
• 27:02 Imagination and Social Justice
• 32:15 Mental Health as a Basic Human Right
• 36:03 Building a Better World Together
• 43:08 Activism and Kindness

When: Wednesdays, beginning July 29, 2026

Time: 6:00-7:30 pm

Where: Online (link provided when registering)

Cost: Free

To RSVP or learn more: jean-paul@liberationinstitute.org

Positive Masculinity is a therapy group for anyone who identifies as a man, including cis and trans men. Together we’ll explore what kind of man we want to be through honest conversation, reflection, and shared experience. We’ll examine the messages we’ve inherited about masculinity with curiosity rather than judgment, exploring how they shape our relationships, work, purpose, friendship, love, fatherhood, sexuality, and the expectations we carry in a changing world. This is not about finding the “right” way to be a man, but about discovering what authenticity, integrity, and connection look like for each of us.

About the Facilitator: JP Jenkins is a clinical mental health counseling intern whose work is informed by over 30 years in the creative arts, mindfulness practice, and a deep interest in relationships, identity, and human flourishing. He integrates mindfulness, somatic awareness, and evidence-based therapeutic approaches to create spaces where people can slow down, reflect honestly, and deepen their relationships with themselves and others. JP is supervised by Brad Byrum (license #T2185)

The conversation with Sophia Moss, a licensed professional counselor associate, delves into the concept of mental wellness, the impact of the current medical model on mental health, and the hope for alternative approaches. The discussion emphasizes the interconnectedness of healing, the harm caused by conformity to societal norms, and the potential for change through critical awareness and diversity in the field of therapy. The conversation delves into the concept of hope and its role in mental wellness, exploring the idea of hope as a catalyst for change and healing. The speakers discuss the power of hope in the context of mental health as a human right, and the role of disobedience, imagination, and individual action in shaping a hopeful future.

Takeaways

• Mental wellness is about abundance, connection, and community, not just the absence of illness.
• The current mental health system perpetuates harm by encouraging conformity to societal norms and lacks critical awareness of systemic factors. Hope as a catalyst for change
• The role of disobedience, imagination, and individual action in shaping a hopeful future

Chapters

• 00:00 Hope for Alternative Approaches
• 30:46 The Power of Hope
• 35:06 Mental Health as a Human Right
• 36:12 Individual Action and Hopeful Change

Time: 6-8PM 

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