Unconditional Education Partnership’s cohort of clinicians, interns and clinical supervisors is almost 100 people strong. Our clinical strand works across the Bay Area from San Jose to Martinez, including teams in San Francisco, Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward and parts in-between. I am incredibly lucky to provide leadership and consultation to this group of heart-and-healing-centered people. When we gather together the room generally buzzes with creativity, compassion and curiosity. People are also often totally exhausted, putting themselves last as they work late supporting a child through a crisis or finish documenting services accurately before they head home. These folks are honoring the stories of so many children. They hold the hard stuff so the kids can process and heal.
No one can sustain in this work of caregiving without support and care in return. I listen to the feedback from our clinicians and know a priority is for us to find ways to deepen our connection to one another and in the work so that people feel nurtured and seen. I love the idea of moving from self-care to collective care. It can be a challenge to find ways to build resilience together. From my role, I see the importance of creating opportunities for learning and growth that we can do together, where we also get to know each other and ourselves better, to open ourselves to vulnerability, and hopefully to feel nourished.
No one can sustain in this work of caregiving without support and care in return. I listen to the feedback from our clinicians and know a priority is for us to find ways to deepen our connection to one another and in the work so that people feel nurtured and seen. I love the idea of moving from self-care to collective care. It can be a challenge to find ways to build resilience together. From my role, I see the importance of creating opportunities for learning and growth that we can do together, where we also get to know each other and ourselves better, to open ourselves to vulnerability, and hopefully to feel nourished.
This year, we sponsored a training series that was offered to every clinician across the UE Partnership continuum. The series from Awakening Kinship Collective is called Somatics as a Liberatory Tool: Deepening our Practice. It included three workshops and three affinity spaces for staff to “experience somatic exploration and increase access to the fullness of their humanity while examining the ways that systems of harm have led to our collective disembodiment.” Awakening Kinship Collective simultaneously held three workshops for UE clinical supervisors, along with the option of an individual leadership coaching session, so that everyone in our cohort had an opportunity to deepen into this different way of knowing and growing.
  | We will be asking for feedback from folks who attended the series so we can learn more about how the opportunity has impacted them and their work, and we will continue to look for ways to create learning and healing spaces for our clinical strand. I believe wholeheartedly in prioritizing the fullness of our humanity, and in highlighting the unique qualities of our ever growing, ever evolving team of incredible clinicians! |
Blog Post Written By: Emily Marsh, Director of Clinical Intervention Services
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