Inclusion and Accountability

The mental health field has historically reflected the dominant culture.

In fact, it has been weaponized as a system of regulation against marginalized folks. Western, medicalized approaches to treatment have been centered while collective healing, indigenous wisdom, and holistic practices have been dismissed. We acknowledge that we have been educated and trained under patriarchal, heteronormative and white supremacist systems. At Head & Heart, we actively resist these paradigms in our practice. 

We welcome people of all backgrounds, identities, and life experiences into the work of therapy. We acknowledge the trauma of discrimination, including fatphobia, misogyny, heteronormativity, racism, and economic inequality. We take accountability for unlearning what feels familiar and challenging ourselves to show up as allies.

We make the following commitments to our clients and community

We will honor you as the expert of your lived experience.

We will cultivate a curious but accountable space for discussions about various forms of trauma, including racial trauma, intergenerational trauma, fatphobia, misogyny, and white supremacy.

We will respect your pronouns, gender identity, and chosen name.

We will seek out and listen to the voices of those who have historically been silenced.

We will invite feedback and respond humbly.  We know our learning is ongoing and never finished.

Our anti-oppressive work is continuous.

We want to be transparent about the actions we are taking as a practice: 

  1. Ongoing trainings and consultations that explore our own identities, power, privilege, biases, and microaggressions

  2. Regular book clubs to seek new perspectives and challenge the pervasive cultural messages of White Supremacy, anti-fat bias, and heteronormativity. Some of our recent favorite books include: 

    1. Decolonizing Therapy, Dr Jennifer Mullan

    2. Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, Viginia Sole Smith

    3. Health at Every Size, Lindo Bacon

    4. Fair Play, Eve Rodsky

    5. Difference Matters; Communicating Social Identity, Brenda Allen

  3. Inviting our clients into this learning community through our free Lending Library with the titles above (and more!) available 

  4. Annual sponsorship of local inclusive events such as UpNorth Pride

  5. Development of free, community based Body Liberation programming

  6. Inclusive hiring practices with a focus on values-alignment

  7. Exploring creative options for increased access and inclusivity in our physical space and increased accessibility and equity in our therapeutic services, including: Equity Pricing for Health Coaching services & sponsorship of Generations Ahead clients

Land Use Acknowledgement: 

Our office, like the rest of the United States, is on stolen land. We acknowledge that the land where we live and work is the unceded ancestral territory of the Odawa and Chippewa People. With this awareness comes a responsibility to learn about, honor and amplify the voices of indigenous communities. 

We pay respect to and acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land we reside on. We encourage you to visit the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Grand Traverse Band Of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians websites where you can find historical information, learn about the current tribal council, and support the tribe.