Morgan Avis

Licensed Social Worker|Clinically Supervised

As a cis white woman who holds various privileges with my intersecting identities, I always acknowledge the white cis-hetero capitalist patriarchy we all operate under, and how that external pressure can impact both people’s perception of us, and our own perceptions of ourselves. Through an intersectional understanding I developed in working with Girls for Gender Equity, a Black Queer female led non-profit, I am able to acknowledge how differing parts of ourselves create our entire experience when combined. In an effort to dismantle white supremacist ideology in therapeutic practice, I aim to let clients know the origins of therapeutic practices and how they are rooted in indigenous ways of healing. Additionally, I speak openly with my clients about their internalization of external stereotypes/opinions. I also work with clients to focus on family and upbringing, and bring awareness to intergenerational trauma that may be deeply held. I work with clients that hold marginalized identities and help them feel safe and open to explore community amongst people with similar stories to theirs. The teachers I have learned from include bell hooks, Angela Davis, and Bryan Stevenson, to name a few. These activists have worked tirelessly towards equity for Black and Brown folks in a myriad of ways, and their words are what emboldened me to follow a career path in mental health work, as a way to commit myself continually to the cause. Audre Lorde said it best when she proclaimed “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare”. I hope to provide a radical space where individuals can care for themselves, and in that way, ‘dismantle the Master’s house’.

Success would look like the client recognizing progress they have made throughout sessions. While the aim of therapy is progress not perfection, success would be seen as a client being able to utilize coping strategies outside of session, decrease unwanted thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and have an overall positive outlook on themselves, and their life. I make it a point in my sessions to remind clients of the place they began therapy at, and where they are now. I help clients to see the incremental changes they have made in their lives that may not be readily apparent to them, and I provide positive reinforcement when positive change the client wants to see is achieved.