Prioritizing Marginalized Youth in Therapy – OP’s Waitlist Reopens

All people, including youth, can use extra support sometimes to care for their mental health. Today’s youth face a significant list of social and emotional challenges – from body image and friendship issues to anxiety, depression, and more.

It’s also important to recognize that youth from historically marginalized communities, including BIPOC, queer and trans, uninsured and underinsured youth, and youth with disabilities, may experience more barriers to care. They may encounter treatment that doesn’t consider how oppression impacts their social and emotional wellness.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, OP experienced a significant increase in therapy requests. While we continued to offer therapy groups, we eventually had to close our waitlist for individual and family therapy for a few months to catch up. Today, the OP therapy waitlist is open again. We are prioritizing youth from those historically marginalized communities, as well as youth who have experienced recent traumatic events to better ensure they receive the timely care they need.

OP clinicians have always provided specific experience, interest, and training in working with the unique needs of youth who have experienced girlhood during their lifetimes, and bring an intersectional lens to honor the lived experiences of youth we serve.

Our therapy services remain youth-led, empowerment-based, trauma-informed, and goal-focused. We work only with youth who desire to be in therapy with us, and we work collaboratively with our clients to help them create the changes they seek.

If you’re interested in learning more about OP’s therapy services, our orientation process, and our sliding scale to better meet each family’s unique budget needs, check out our Therapy page, or call us at (541) 284-4333.