Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Thompson.
Hi Morgan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Like many in the mental health profession, my journey into the field started long ago as I was learning to navigate through childhood trauma of my own. You know how you can really feel when a therapist “gets it?” That’s usually because they have weathered a storm or two! Having a therapist as an adolescent gave me a space to process emotions that felt so much bigger than my body & that I struggled to explain in words.
Even so, I didn’t know I wanted to be a therapist until I was deciding my next steps after undergrad at WSU, where I received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (go Cougs!). I loved statistics, research, & my experiences as a teaching assistant, so I thought perhaps I would enter the world of academia. I had a wonderful mentor, Dr. Janet Peters, who gave me the opportunity to shadow her in that type of career, working for her as a research assistant & traveling with a team of fellow RAs to present our research at an APA conference in Chicago.
A few very important things happened: 1. Due to misgivings about structural access barriers to knowledge & the cutthroat nature of the quest for tenure while teaching, I learned that I wasn’t so sure about a career in research, despite learning many things of value. 2. While in Chicago, I learned about Adler University, a school of professional psychology located there. 3. George Floyd was murdered, & (later than I like to admit) I was radicalized. I knew I needed to unpack my White privilege & learn from marginalized communities rather than from people who looked like me & moved through the world without social awareness, insulated from oppression with the ability to tune it out. I knew I wanted to learn from international students & teachers. So I applied to that cool school I’d heard about, & the rest, as they say, is history.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To be sure, it has not always been the smoothest road. My family has continued to navigate the complexity of chronic illness, addiction, grief, & intergenerational trauma. I struggled with the financial burden of school & accumulated a significant amount of student loan debt. I faced my own problems with substance abuse & with the help of loving community & excellent mental health providers of my own, was able to attain sobriety along the way.
I had a difficult time with executive function challenges too, particularly with time management & ordering the hundreds of tasks required to make it through a graduate program while working to support myself. While this was incredibly difficult, one of the things graduate school gave me was a name for the specific challenges making task initiation, organization, & follow-through so hard: ADHD. I received a diagnosis in my late twenties & this has opened a whole world of new strategies, medication management, & self-compassion, not to mention a fierce interest in helping other people navigate the specific challenges associated with a late neurodiversity diagnosis. Having the right supports was the missing piece for me; now that I’m accessing them, I have the capacity to run a business that I feel passionate about!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Here to Feel, LLC?
In April of this year, I made the leap from a group to a private practice. I am a licensed professional counselor & I offer individual & relationship counseling at my practice. Currently, most of my availability is virtual via Telehealth, but I also have a limited number of in-person openings available.
I would say I am primarily known for supporting people in unmasking & embodying their truest form. I do this in a number of ways, but what may set me apart from others in the profession is that I lead by example. I’m using the fidget toys too. I’m modeling how to regulate & move big feelings through the body by doing it alongside clients. I don’t believe in the traditional “blank slate” theory that many therapists are trained in; while I maintain appropriate boundaries, my clients get to know about who I am. Because time & time again, the research shows that the number one indicator of a successful therapeutic experience is how safe & comfortable the therapeutic relationship feels. And I firmly believe we cannot be in relationship if a client is not allowed to know anything personal about me.
So if you ask me if I have pets, I’ll tell you all about Peter, my adorable chihuahua-beagle mix. I’m not going to ask you, “What does it mean for you to ask me that? How does it feel? Why do you think it’s important?” Miss me with that.
My therapy practice is influenced by the frameworks of community care, disability justice, collective liberation, radical acceptance, multiculturalism, & Black feminism. As an anti-racist, sex-positive, ENM-competent, kink-informed, gender-affirming clinician & a proud member of genderqueer, non-monogamous, & neurodiverse communities, I strive to create a space of safety & understanding for clients with values & lifestyles that exist a little outside the box.
I never, ever use AI in any part of my work. Your privacy & protection matter deeply to me. It matters that we are in a unique human relationship & every part of your care will be customized. In an increasingly efficiency- & productivity focused society that is destroying the planet in its eagerness to extract wealth & power, I gladly & wholeheartedly recuse myself from supporting the growth of artificial intelligence.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Because of some of my focus & auditory processing challenges, I actually find podcasts extremely difficult to attend to! Many people talk about loving the multitasking opportunity audio books & podcasts provide, but if I want to listen to & actually absorb audio material, I have to schedule the time, carve it out, & turn on hyper-focus mode ONLY on that! Which can be fun sometimes, but it’s a rarity for me. I really like what I’ve heard of Multiamory, which I would recommend for anyone exploring expansive relationship styles.
Many of my clients have been loving the Finch app for organizing needed tasks & “gamifying” often dreaded activities. Someone described it to me as the Tamagotchi of self-care, which I really felt when I gave it a whirl. The early-oughts tween in me enjoyed that nostalgia hit. Check it out if you want to infuse a little whimsy into your daily to-do list!
One book that I return to again & again is Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by adrienne maree brown. This is a GREAT collection of essays, both of brown’s & other prominent contributors to the Black feminist tradition such as Audre Lorde & Cara Page. I would recommend this book if you are interested in redefining the embodiment of pleasure as freedom, decolonization, fulfillment, play, healing, & justice.
Pricing:
- My out-of-pocket rate is $120 per hour for individuals & relationship systems.
- I offer sliding scale rates, as well, just ask!
- I am in network with Moda, Regence/Blue Cross, United Healthcare, Aetna, & OHP Open Card.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.here2feel.com
