Statements

Mission

The mission of Healing in the Margins is to cultivate systemic change and foster healing by providing resources and programming in mental health spaces for the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC.

We know that folks from marginalized communities have an increased need for mental health care. We know that BIPOC folks have been hesitant to seek care due to cultural norms and a lack of trust in mental health care. We know that being in the South, LGBTQIA+ folks often do not feel safe to seek care. Therefore we know that folks from marginalized communities have have been underserved and under supported in mental health spaces. We want to create systemic change in Mental Health for individuals in marginalized communities by supporting both mental health clinicians and the clients they serve.

Background

Ashley Hampton, the executive director of Healing in the Margins has worked with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ folks as a clinical mental health therapist for over a decade. During that time she became increasingly aware that folks from marginalized communities are in need of safe and representative care. It was at this time that Ashley and Beth Hampton founded a counseling center dedicated to holding space for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC clinicians and clients in the Nashville community. Ashley and Beth realized the need to close the gaps in mental health spaces reached far beyond "holding safe space" for marginalized individuals. The individuals from these communities needed more support in order to gain access to sustainable, high quality, and competent care. It also became evident that the clinicians from marginalized communities needed additional support and additional trainings to provide their clients with the care they need. Resources and care for both clients and the clinicians who serve them is needed for systemic change to become a reality.
Having this lived experience, insight, and knowledge, they formed Healing in the Margins with the mission: to cultivate systemic change and foster healing by providing resources and programming in mental health spaces for the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC. The organization is starting its mission with programming in the following areas: 1.) a Therapy Fund for marginalized clients to have access to competent, representative care with a clinician that understands them, 2.) a Clinician Care Fund for marginalized clinicians to receive scholarship in areas of advanced trauma trainings, CE events, and self-care, and 3.) Clinicians in the Margins workshop series to help fuel and empower BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ clinicians, and equip them with tools to better serve their clients from marginalized communities.

Impact

With the combined outcome of our initial fundraising efforts in December of 2022 and our 2023 fundraising efforts to date, we have been able to raise a seed of funding totaling $28,000 in annualized revenue (mostly in the form of recurring monthly donations from community members) which will go directly to the programming we are piloting in 2023: Clients in the Margins, Clinicians in the Margins, and Competency in the Margins.

In 2023 we would like to help at least 10 individuals through our Clients in the Margins Therapy Fund. This would help folks have the resources to see a clinician that they identify with as well as help the clinician seeing these clients have an equitable rate for the service they provide.
We know that folks from marginalized communities have and continue to experience trauma at a higher rate so we hope to provide 5-10 LGBTQIA+and BIPOC identifying clinicians with advanced trauma trainings to better serve their clients, through our Clinician Care Fund. Our Clinicians in the Margins program is also on track to serve 45-60 participants who identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ mental health providers through a monthly workshop series providing both educational workshops and self care experiences.
Through our Competency in the Margins program we have been, and will continue to work with mental health providers outside of the BIPOC and LGTBQIA+ communities to strengthen their ability to serve clients from these communities with safety and competency.

Needs

1. We need financial resources. The programming that we wish to provide is dependent on the funding that we receive. If we hope to provide therapy for clients and trauma trainings for the therapists who provide therapy, we are going to need to meet our budget goals:

1 In order to provide an adequate and effective therapy fund for 10 BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ clients, we need $14,400.
2. In order to provide 10 BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ therapists with advanced trauma trainings, continuing education funds, and support with the costs of clinical supervision, we need $10,000.
3. To make our organization sustainable we need operational funding (including salaries, administrative expenses, programming expenses, etc) to help support the time and costs of running the organization. Operational expenses total $65,932.

We are also building our VIP roster (Volunteers In Programming), which will include passionate individuals who are professionals in the mental health field and individuals with skills and expertise that could be an asset to serving the organization and BIPOC / LGBTQIA+ participants as a whole.

CEO Statement

I am a queer woman of color who is dedicated to creating change in mental health spaces for my LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC family. I know that for too long, folks in marginalized communities have not been seen, heard or supported in all the ways that they deserve. At Healing in the Margins we want to cultivate systemic change and foster healing for the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC.
We truly believe that Healing in the Margins will change the world!

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - LGBT Centers
Secondary Category:	Mental Health & Crisis Intervention  - Counseling
Tertiary Category:	Mental Health & Crisis Intervention  - Mental Health Treatment

Areas Served

TN - Davidson