Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Stephen.
Hi Sandra, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started, in some ways, without knowing. I was nudged into the helping profession early on which ultimately created a degree path for me 20 years ago. I spent 10 years vocationally navigating micro- and macrosystem trauma and environments that act as both a developmental mold and gatekeeper for professionals and consumers. I developed more questions than answers about how to support human wellness.
I discovered after various roles in a crisis home system that I couldn’t settle there, so I chose grad school. Specifically one that cared to keep a critical thinking lense on social justice issues.
Im continuously expanding my thoughts about wellness through an integrative framework of empowerment. And its harder than one might think. How does one help this abstract concept become reality for folks, especially when we humans are so diverse?
Im a tiny little business with a bigger vision to support wellness for clients and providers. I want it to become much more than sitting on a therapy couch.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Its not a smooth road. Right now in particular it feels quite rocky. I ask myself often if I should retract or expand- I feel the tug of it all and maybe I’m in limbo.
My struggles are deeper questions. How do I build the right professional community? How do I integrate with other kinds of wellness professionals? How do I get movement into my practice in a way that accommodates people with complicated accessibility issues? How to I find or afford a space to facilitate my vision when Im carrying the financial weight of this on my own? How do I build a reliable team that is diverse and compatible and that believes in effort like i do? How do I get peers to sign up for asking hard questions and the reality that manifests from not having all the answers? How do I do all this and be a mom? How do I practice what I preach so I don’t burn out? Where do I get the resources for the vision I have?
I could put my head down and do what other people do, or I could ask the hard questions and try to achieve this vision.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mid-Willamette FITS?
I have a tiny group practice providing mental health services to people- Mif-Willamette Family and Individual Therapy Services (FITS). I want to expand with the right folks.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; a systems thinker. I am stretching myself into the world of somatics, lifestyle medicine, and therapeutic movement and environment practices. I do EMDR and “walk and talk” therapy.
I’m interested in providing quality, Integrative, person-centered care. I fundamentally hope to empower individuals I serve. Issues related to equity and social and environmental justice are salient to my work and to human wellness.
Early on, I became grounded to the reality of needing to meet people where they are at (figuratively and sometimes literally).
I like looking at the whole picture to support mental health and general well-being. I include concepts about nature and environmental impact on wellness into my practice.
I continue to see an increase in acute stress, autoimmune-like symptoms, and overlapping chronic health diseases in new clientele. This, along with my own journey, has led me to seeking ways to integrate lifestyle medicine resources and more experiential approaches into my practice.
Ability to modify my work environment to support individuals is important, and it is also part of my direction (my “what if!” for the future). It needs to support universal human wellness needs; not just for clients, but also for providers.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
American College of Lifestyle medicine resources are useful for me.
I have a list of books every year. some books are repeated because they are relevant or a review of fundementals.
This past year of books includes…
The Future of Nutrition.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.
The EMDR Manual.
Nonviolent Communication.
The Explosive Child (newest version).
The mind-Gut Connection.
The Art of Self-EMDR for trauma Recovery.
The ADHD effect on marriage.
Earthing.
Shinrin Yoku: The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing.
How to Fight.
How to Walk.
12 principals for raising a child with ADHD.
Food over medicine
Buried in Treasures.
The Climate Book.
52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science…
How Emotions are Made.
Where Should We Begin/Esther Perel Podcast.
Requiem for the American Dream.
The Heat Will Kill you First.
Feeling Good.
The Wild Robot series.
If you Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving.
The Bear and the Fern.
Two Homes.
Talking to Children About Divorce: A Parents guide…
A Terrible thing Happened.
My Body! What I say Goes.
Pricing:
- Most of the books are available in audio format
- Most books are able to be purchased used online
- Some books can be reserved for free at the local library
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mwfits.clientsecure.me
