The Relational Center

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT

Men’s Group: Focus Group Sessions
7:15 - 8:45 PM
• Thursday, 4/18
• Wednesday, 4/24
• Thursday, 5/2
• Wednesday, 5/8

We are dreaming up our next iteration of men’s spaces at The Relational Center. We’re hoping to involve as many men in the community as possible to discover as many needs, wants, and desires for men’s groups as we can.

* Free
* In person at The Relational Center
* Open to men defined expansively, including any individuals who identify as a man

RSVP: If you’re interested in attending one or multiple — trc.xyz/mensgroup

QUESTIONS: [email protected]

4/13/24 UPDATE: THIS GROUP IS PAUSED..................................................

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT
Sunday Scaries
Sundays, 4-5:30 PM PST
Starts Sunday, April 7, 2024

The weekend is over and that can sometimes leave us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, sad, and stressed. Whether you just need support from a group of your peers to chat to, grounding techniques to help you settle into the new week, or a virtual body double this is a group for you.

* Free
* All sessions are via Zoom
* Open to anyone, anywhere

For more information:
[email protected]

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT: Intro to Mindfulness

A 6-week in-person group on introductory mindfulness practices and philosophy.

• Free
• In person at The Relational Center
• Thursdays from 6-7pm
• March 21st-April 25th, 2024

Group is instructed by TRC community member, Dalia Yasharpour.

Dalia holds a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and her most recent published book involves the Buddha biographies. She first came to mindfulness meditation thirteen years ago by way of The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program of Jon Kabat-Zinn. She has been a mindfulness meditation guide for the last several years and will soon graduate from The Mindful Meditation Teacher Training Program. Helping people of all ages and backgrounds to experience mindfulness meditation and mindful movement is where her heart lies.

Email [email protected] for more info and to sign up

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT
(for California residents only)

Bodies & Trauma
Wednesdays, 10-11:30 AM
14 Weeks Starting March 27, 2024
with Natasha V, Mia & Jessica C

NOTE: group has been pushed from a 3/13 start date to a 3/27 start date

One of the effects of trauma is a loss of connection to one’s body, to others, and to the world. In healing with others in the group, members begin to not feel so alone in their experience of trauma and begin to reconnect in ways that individual counseling cannot address. This group works toward: expanding awareness of sensations in the body, understanding the physiology underlying trauma and the aftermath of a traumatic experience, learning and practicing techniques for soothing uncomfortable emotions and body sensations, and beginning to heal trauma through the body as a complement to other forms of healing.

* All sessions are via Zoom
* Closed group (no drop-ins)
* Psychoeducation + Skills Building

TRC Clients: Free
Non-TRC: Sliding Scale Available

For more information: [email protected]

🗳️ VOTING CIRCLE 🗳️

Wednesday, February 28, 7pm-8:30pm
Get ready for the primary election coming up on March 5th!

We are excited to announce that one of our support groups, Do Better, will be hosting a FREE Voting Circle on 2/28!

A Voting Circle is a space for anybody to join and talk about what’s on the upcoming ballot and get ready to vote. We will discuss the ballot and talk about what is at stake and how we can make an impact with our vote in the upcoming election on 3/5.

We will not be telling anyone how to vote, only offering a space for folks to share their perspectives and knowledge.

This event is free and open to California residents!

ZOOM LINK: https://trc.xyz/votingcircle or click our link in bio

Questions? reach out to:
do [email protected] or

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT
(for California residents only)

Bodies & Trauma
Tuesdays, 6-8 PM
14 Weeks Starting March 19, 2024
with Jessica H, Haley & Adam

One of the effects of trauma is a loss of connection to one’s body, to others, and to the world. In healing with others in the group, members begin to not feel so alone in their experience of trauma and begin to reconnect in ways that individual counseling cannot address. This group works toward: expanding awareness of sensations in the body, understanding the physiology underlying trauma and the aftermath of a traumatic experience, learning and practicing techniques for soothing uncomfortable emotions and body sensations, and beginning to heal trauma through the body as a complement to other forms of healing.

* All sessions are via Zoom
* Closed group (no drop-ins)
* Psychoeducation + Process

TRC Clients: Free
Non-TRC: Sliding Scale Available

For more information: [email protected]

We know the new year can bring up all kinds of big feelings and even pressures (the “become a brand new you on January 1st” trope you see in the media), so here is a way to regulate your nervous system with a grounding technique called the 54321 Method.

Screenshot this slide so you have it handy the next time you feel anxious, overwhelmed or panicky. Sending you lots of care and support 🩵

Last post of the evening 😊 Thank you to everyone who has donated and supported our Year-End Appeal! We are deeply grateful to you. ++YOU++ help us help others. We can’t do it without you 💚

We are still accepting donations as we cross over midnight into 2024:
TRC.XYZ/YEA2023 or click our link in bio

With love and gratitude,
The Relational Center

This is our last day of our Year-End Appeal and to keep doing our impactful mental health work, we need to meet our $75,000 goal. As a solely community-funded non-profit we rely on these year-end donations to carry us through the year.

Your tax-deductible donation will help keep our doors open so we can continue to provide low-fee counseling to communities who need us most.

No donation is too small! Thank you for supporting us since 2007 — we can’t do it without you! Thank you! ♥️

DONATE: TRC.XYZ/YEA2023 or click the link in our bio

“Mental health is not merely a health or medical concern, it is very much a matter of human rights, dignity, and social justice." — United Nations Human Rights Council Annual Report

We depend on the generosity of folks like you to sustain our organization.

To keep doing the vital work that we do, we need your help. We rely only on community donations to keep our services accessible to our communities. While we know finances are incredibly tight, we are asking for any donations at all. Please share this post with friends and family who might be able to contribute.

DONATE: trc.xyz/yea2023 or click the link in our bio

We need you! Thank you! 💚

How can you help protect our low-fee counseling services?

1: Donate to our Year End Appeal:
TRC.XYZ/YEA2023
2: Join our monthly giving program
3: Share our social media posts & tag us
4: Like or comment on our posts
5: Send our donation link to friends, family & colleagues who support mental health services
6: Check out our support groups
7: Spread empathy!

We keep our doors open only through the generosity of community donations. No donation is too small. We can’t keep our mission going without YOU! ♥️🙏🏽♥️

DONATE: TRC.XYZ/YEA2023 or click the link in our bio

Help Us Help Others

We run a very lean 501 c3 non-profit organization. Because the requirements for diagnosis and reporting can harm our clients and their families, we operate without government funding.

Since 2007, TRC has offered sliding scale counseling to underserved, marginalized communities who are often not able to access mental health supports. TRC is rooted in social justice, and the belief that therapy is not just a right, but a political act. 

TRC does not diagnose, or pathologize a client based on a prior diagnosis, but is committed to seeing the client as a multidimensional, intersectional person who is deeply affected by interconnected systems of family, friends, community, and the larger systemic forces of oppression. 

TRC's counseling is client-led, strengths-based, and leans heavily on the here-and-now relationship between the therapist and client, which is a profoundly healing force in its own right. 

TRC also offers many low-cost and free support groups for clients and the community at large. TRC is committed to training the next generation of visionary, culturally-responsive therapists and has a year-round clinical training program offered at very affordable rates so it is accessible to everyone. 

Please help us in our shared mission of serving the well-being of in-need Californians and donate -- no donation is too small!

DONATE: trc.xyz/yea2023 or click our link in bio

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” — Audre Lorde

It’s that time of year where we ask for your support to keep our doors open.

We are aware of how dystopic it feels to talk about a time of celebration and giving in a world that is riddled with so many co-occurring tragedies. It is not lost on us and yet as an org, it has never felt more important for our doors to stay open to the wide range of human beings that we serve and support.

Our trainings and therapy are rooted in principles and practices that foster community wellness, collective action, empathy, and mutual interdependence. Our mission is to shift culture into a deepening of these values, and we genuinely can’t do it without you.

Your tax deductible donations make it possible to support the greater LA and California community to receive mental health support in a critical time.

We are asking for your support in any way, shape, or form. Whether that means donating $5, $25, $50 or $500, spreading the word about what we do, or simply asking those who have the means to support us.

We want to keep our doors open to continue to support folks healing from collective trauma, cultural trauma, systems of oppression, and the isolation, grief, addiction, mental health struggles that unfold from a society steeped in hyper individualism.

Please consider donating at trc.xyz/yea2023 or share this image in your story and tag us!

We couldn’t do it without you💚💙

HELP US, HELP OTHERS ♥️

Our Year-End Appeal Fundraiser is running until December 31. Please donate to The Relational Center to support our mission to provide sliding-scale counseling to folks in need!

DONATE: click our link up top or copy this link into a browser (since links don’t work on Instagram grid posts) —-> TRC.XYZ/YEA2023

MORE ABOUT TRC:
Every year we host a Year-End Appeal which launches on Giving Tuesday. This offers our supporters one last opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation to The Relational Center before the end of the calendar year. Our goal for the 2023 Year-End Appeal is $75,000. These funds are critical for sustaining The Relational Center’s community. With your support, we can continue to integrate individual healing and systemic cultural change through affordable comprehensive mental health services to low-income and marginalized folx.

Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in loss, substance misuse, depression, isolation, and grief. Our aim is to continue providing inclusive mental health services to our communities during a time for healing. We have increased services over 40% since the pandemic began, as we offer both virtual and in-person counseling, including many groups that are free and open to the public. Help us build stronger, more empathic communities that can change the world! Please donate today, in whatever amount you can, we are depending on you.

“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” — bell hooks

Dear TRC Community,

Wow — what a Giving Tuesday! We are so deeply grateful for everyone who showed up for us yesterday (and are still doing so today!) by liking, commenting & sharing our many, many posts, sending us DMs of support, following us, and yes, of course, donating.

It means so much to us that you value our work and our incredible coalition of members, counselors, clinical supervisors, trainees, volunteers, staff, and YOU! TRC is truly a precious community asset and a labor of love.

Of course, our fundraising is not done until 12/31! Since 2007, community fundraising is how we have kept our doors open. If you would like to donate and support our mission of providing sliding-scale counseling based in the practices of social justice, anti-oppression, radical inclusion, and community connection to those who need it most, please donate now. No donation is too small!

DONATION LINK: TRC.XYZ/ YEA2023
(or click our link up top).

"Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion." -- bell hooks

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of our community!

With love,
The Relational Center

IT IS STILL GIVING TUESDAY!

At the Relational Center, we value the power of relationships to nourish and enrich the lives of individuals, families, and communities, and to transform the world into a more equitable and empathic place. We rely on your support to continue this important work.

Please support us this by visiting this link and giving in any amount you can OR by sending to friends/family/kin who can. OR! By sharing this post and circulating our page around the interwebs! We appreciate your support in any form!
trc.xyz/YEA2023

We couldn’t do this without YOU! 🙏🏽

(Link in bio too. Just tap the post image.)

Every year that we ask your support, we’re thinking about our role in the social ecosystem, how we address as a community the systemic trauma and global crises we are in, our belief in the healing power of groups and community, and what it means to ask for your support to support others.

Each year that we are able to keep our doors open (largely due to your donations), we are incredibly grateful to be able to sustain our community that spans so many different generations and people from all walks of life.

Many of you already know, but we make our impact by providing sliding scale, accessible therapy for individuals and families in the CA area, along with therapeutic groups, social justice oriented & trauma-informed training for our counselors, professional development opportunities, and more.

If you decide to support our organization this year with a tax deductible donation, you’ll be supporting us in our aim to support as many folx in the LA and California area that we possibly can through our services.

We believe a culture of mutual support, reciprocity, and re-humanizing our society with empathy and compassion are some of the most important tools we need to face the crises we are living in.

If you decide to donate to our cause, please write our organization’s name on a piece of paper and post a photo so we can recognize and tag you in our stories.

We are so grateful to our community, especially in the pain and tragedy the world has endured in the past year. You and our supporters make our work possible.

To support via donation, visit the clickable 🔗 up top, OR like, share, save or repost this! If making a donation isn’t possible right now, you can still support us! You can send the link to friends/family/kin, or share this post and circulate our page around the interwebs. We appreciate your support in any form!

TODAY IS THE DAY! is here and there are so many ways you can help us help others. Low-cost, inclusive, liberation-focused therapy and support groups (some of which are free!) are deeply needed, and we can see it based on our waitlist and responses from our community members.

We literally could not keep our doors open without you since we don’t receive government funding and are primarily a donation based functioning org. We don’t receive government funding for lots of reasons, but primarily to protect the confidentiality and privacy of our members. We see people as people, not as numbers in a system, and it’s rare that non profits are truly able to maintain their integrity in that way as they survive and grow.

For over 16 years we’ve been fighting to keep our doors open and the past couple years have been harder on us than others. Please consider even a $5, $25, or $50 donation because it truly would make a difference. And if you can’t donate, we would feel supported even by your advocacy and sharing around our posts, mission, and donate button that you can find at the 🔗 in our bi0!

Since the pandemic, we have increased our org’s services by 40%. We want to continue serving our greater LA, and now CA community since we’ve expanded since working online.

Your donations are tax deductible and your efforts in circulating our campaign are DEEPLY appreciated!

Thank you for supporting us and allowing us to fill a need we consider essential: to spread empathy, foster interdependence, and fight against the disease of isolation through our sliding scale therapy, support groups, and more.

It’s almost !!

At The Relational Center, we value the power of relationships to nourish and enrich the lives of individuals, families, and communities, and to transform the world into a more equitable and empathic place. We rely on your support to continue this important work.

Please support us this by visiting the link in our bio and giving any amount you can, by sending the link to friends/family/kin, or by sharing this post and circulating our page around the interwebs! We appreciate your support in any form!

LINK TO DONATE:

trc.xyz/yea2023

READ MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO:

We run a very lean 501c3 non-profit organization with minimal paid staff and rely almost entirely on volunteers for all daily operations. We avoid using stigmatizing diagnoses unless absolutely necessary to navigate the healthcare system and obtain resources for our members.

We do not track/report undocumented individuals who come to us for support and community. **We operate without government funding because the requirements for diagnosis and reporting can harm our clients and their families.** We incorporate social justice and trauma informed care into our counseling work – joining with our clients in collective action to improve the wellbeing of our clients and their communities.

We refuse to make those who are suffering from systemic marginalization adjust to an unjust social context.

Graphic by one of your beloved community members and leaders

UPDATED GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT:
Neurodivergent Therapists has a NEW DAY & TIME launching in December 2023!

Meets 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month beginning December 5, 2023, 7-8:30pm PT

A FREE drop-in monthly peer-led support group for neurodivergent therapists – diagnosed or self-diagnosed. Engage in discussion with like-minded clinicians.

Neurodivergent definition: unique brains that view and experience the world differently from most of society. Examples include but are not limited to: Autism, ADHD, BPD, Dyslexia, OCD.

+ Free & open to ND licensed therapists, associates, and counseling graduate students moving towards licensure everywhere
+ Captioning will be available
+ Email for Zoom Link: [email protected]

1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month beginning December 5, 2023, 7-8:30pm PT

UPCOMING 2023 DATES:
12/5 and 12/19

It’s almost !! To read a bit more about what we do, look through the following slides :)

At The Relational Center, we value the power of relationships to nourish and enrich the lives of individuals, families, and communities, and to transform the world into a more equitable and empathic place. We rely on your support to continue this important work.

Please support us this by visiting the link in our bio and giving any amount you can, by sending the link to friends/family/kin, or by sharing this post and circulating our page around the interwebs! We appreciate your support in any form!

LINK TO DONATE:
trc.xyz/yea2023

READ MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO:

We run a very lean 501c3 non-profit organization with minimal paid staff and rely almost entirely on volunteers for all daily operations. We avoid using stigmatizing diagnoses unless absolutely necessary to navigate the healthcare system and obtain resources for our members.

We do not track/report undocumented individuals who come to us for support and community. **We operate without government funding because the requirements for diagnosis and reporting can harm our clients and their families.** We incorporate social justice and trauma informed care into our counseling work – joining with our clients in collective action to improve the wellbeing of our clients and their communities.

We refuse to make those who are suffering from systemic marginalization adjust to an unjust social context.

-change

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT!
Holidazed starts Tuesday, 11/21/23

The holiday season can be lonely, and bring up grief, overwhelm, cause financial strain, family conflict, and stress. This free weekly drop-in group for California residents offers an online space to talk about these stressors and connect with others.

90 min, Tuesday nights
6:30-8pm, Nov 21, 28, Dec 5, 12, 19

Contact: [email protected]

On Zoom, Free and Open to CA Residents

ZOOM LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86500810634?pwd=TzV4WGlhcFQ0Rld2WEZGcHhaM1QxUT09

NEW GROUP ANNOUNCEMENT!
Do Better starts Wednesday, 10/11/23

Please join us for a new peer-led group focused on building a community of folx that want to do better for themselves and for others. Our intentions are to facilitate a space where like-minded people can come together and collaborate our collective efforts to push the needle towards the type of culture we want to see in the world, which is inclusive, empathetic and inspiring. We will also prioritize strategies on how to care for each other and ourselves to address compassion fatigue.

Wednesdays, 7-8:30pm
This on-going group starts October 11, 2023.

We will meet weekly on Zoom for self-care and to organize in person sessions at TRC for community-care projects.

Weekly zoom sessions:
+ Grounding & mindfulness
+ Self-care (think: face masks & hot tea)
+ Open discussion and community-care event planning

Email: [email protected]

We wanted to share a massive thank you to our network of support in contributing to our annual fundraising gala, A Date To Relate!

Special thank you to our internal community of organizers who put this on, our donors, our bidders, our friends and family members who spread the word, attended the event, bought tickets, and to our whole online community that continued to share our silent auction items and promoted this event.

It might seem silly that sharing a post or telling people about what we do has a genuine impact.. but we believe story telling and sharing profoundly impacts culture and moves us toward collective action. By supporting us in big or small ways, you are contributing to our mission toward a more mutually supportive and empathetic world, where we take care of each other in reciprocal relationships and heal from the trauma of isolation and oppression, deconstruct the harms of individualism and consumerist culture, and wrap communities in a larger network of support. I’m sure many of you already know, but we carry forward this mission through sliding scale and accessible therapy services, by training our therapists and social workers through a trauma informed, anti-oppressive and social justice oriented lens, and providing free support groups to all CA residents.

Thank you so much for supporting us in this mission. Thank you for making A Date to Relate happen this year.

We literally couldn’t have done this without you.

There are just a couple hours left to bid on our silent auction items. We have even more auction items for you that you can bid on by clicking this image at the link up top or visiting trc.cbo.io

(image in this photo is a gorgeous cocktail for a gift card from !)

Auction items include tickets, comedy class, writing session with author & creative consultant , signed skateboard from pro skater + MUCH MUCH MORE!

Don’t miss out on the chance to support accessible mental health services for all CA residents that aims to reduce isolation, shift culture and spread empathy while also reaping the benefits of your contributions!

We are so grateful to all of the businesses that have donated these experiences for you to enjoy.

We believe our work is vital to creating mutually supportive relationships and communities and appreciate YOU for either bidding, spreading the word, or simply reposting this. We literally couldn’t do it without you (considering we don’t receive government funding for many ethical reasons)! Thank you so much for your support! ♥️

Our silent auction is now LIVE! Bid for auction items at *thaitapas and more!

Know that in purchasing any of these items, you are supporting our mission to provide low fee counseling and free support groups to CA residents.

Because we don’t currently receive government funding, the biggest way we receive support is through donations and our annual fundraiser, A Date to Relate.

To support our mission to spread empathy and reduce isolation, AND treat yourself at the same time, visit trc.cbo.io to bid!

Photo in this image is from restaurant and bar, also offering a $100 gift card you can bid for starting at $50 :)

LAST CALL FOR OUR ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA TICKETS! Please share with friends and family :-)

(ticket link be found at the link in our bio)

By attending, you are supporting our work!

A little more about us:

The Relational Center is a community based non profit that provides extremely low fee psychotherapy, group therapy, and mental health support for the greater LA area and online to all California residents. It is a training site for therapists-to-be, providing the leading edge trauma-aware healing modalities rooted in values of justice, community care, and culture shift toward a more empathetic world. By coming to our annual fundraiser, spreading the word about it, or simply reposting this, you are supporting the work we do, which has touched the lives of thousands of CA residents.

All of your support through tax deductible donations, ticket sales, and live auction items help us to keep our doors open and provide our services to the community.

There is only one day left to buy tickets and join us for our annual fundraising gala at in Silverlake for an evening filled with delicious food, community, music, and very exciting auction items! We cant wait to see you there!