As a new therapist on my way to licensure, I am so happy to have found The Relational Center (TRC). TRC has the perfect balance of filling a real community need for affordable, anti-oppressive therapy while providing a nurturing, supportive environment for the therapist as well.

At The Relational Center I have always been able to act with integrity with the full support of my supervisors (Shout-out to Jami Musen Winkel, Penny Timmons, & Emely Ortiz!) I have received excellent, social justice values-driven training that was everything I wished I had gotten in school, and witnessed the profound transformation of my clients in group, individual, and relationship counseling. I am being trained as a change-maker rather than an enforcer of the status-quo like so many therapists and social workers.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to facilitate free peer-support for trans men, nonbinary people, and their loved ones. I am so grateful that most of my clients only pay $50/month for weekly therapy and access to groups, classes, social clubs and events, and our community space with a computer and a kitchen. I am proud to be a part of an organization that teaches organizing skills as healing and prioritizes breaking isolation in the most disconnected city I know.

As you might imagine, despite our large impact, this small, radical organization doesn't receive grant funding, and doesn't get much money from our client community-members. Because we do things differently, we rely almost entirely on donations from people who share our values and vision. Even if you're not in Los Angeles, The Relational Center is a leader in an international movement to change how we promote psychological health and wellness. If this seed can continue to grow, there's no telling how far our approach will spread. Plus, I know my clients are going to change the world!

Please donate whatever you can. If it resonates with you, think of it as sponsoring a client, or paying the wages of our three part-time staff.

Every year we host a year-end appeal that offers our supporters one last opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation to The Relational Center before the end of the calendar year. Our goal for the 2018 year-end appeal is $30,000. These funds are critical for sustaining The Relational Center's community. With your support, we can continue to integrate individual healing and systemic cultural change through affordable comprehensive mental health services to low-income and marginalized folks. Help us build stronger, more empathic communities that can change the world!