A Message From Our Founder

Hi folx! 

It is with great pleasure that I get to announce to you all: Always Wellness Community! 

Always Wellness Community is a non-profit organization that helps provide access to affordable and inclusive mental healthcare as well as inclusive community spaces both in-person and online.

The idea for this non-profit started as a daydream. I was inspired by another non-profit organization and the way they offered support to individuals and organizations to help raise up others. I was sitting in my home therapy office with the sun shining through the windows in July of 2023. I kept asking myself how I could help more people than just through my individual therapy practice. I asked myself about the needs around mental health and how I can have a greater impact. And overall, how I can create positive change both in my local community and the greater community we are all a part of. 

As a therapist with a private practice, I specialize in working with queer, trans, and non-binary clients. Working and being involved with this community has taught me the importance of kindness, inclusivity, and support. We all need it and there can never be enough of it. I recognized that the cost of therapy, as well as having inclusive care is a huge barrier to receiving care. On an individual level, I cut my session costs and took on pro-bono clients within the community to help increase access to care. While this was beyond fulfilling for my soul, it presented me with my own business and personal financial challenges. Surely there must be a way to help therapists get paid for their services and help clients have access to affordable and inclusive care. I quickly discovered that there wasn’t.

The initial thought I had was to apply for funding from the other nonprofit (Start the Wave) I had been learning about. I could apply for funding through that nonprofit and continue to just operate my private practice. That would help my clients and myself, sure, but it wouldn’t solve a bigger problem that exists or create community spaces that are so needed. That’s when the idea for this nonprofit took shape. I found myself increasingly more eager to expand my reach and help folx far and wide. 

Next came months of research, brainstorming, and paperwork. I recruited a trusted board of directors and volunteers and we started putting dreams into action. On February 20, 2024 Always Wellness Community became an incorporated nonprofit in the state of Oregon. As of February 21, 2024 we applied and were granted 501(c)(3) status with the United States Federal Government.

Now it is time to release this inspired daydream into the world and allow it to take shape in new and exciting ways. The idea for Always Wellness Community found me, and I will be forever grateful, but it was always destined to be given to the world. I was simply a catalyst for this idea to take form. So now I give it to you all - whether you are a supporter, a future community member, or someone just passing through, we welcome you with open arms and hope you’ll join us on our path to help people, always.