Ashley Thielman, LISW at Rooted Therapeutic Healing

Always a good reminder to live for yourself within your morals and values.

Growth is not linear. You need bad days to have good ones. Bad days are part of a good, fulfilling life 🪐✨

Today we celebrate the sharing of authentic selves and the ones who were safe enough and offered us support to be able to show up in that authenticity.

Some wisdom this morning from Dr. Jamie Marich.

A line in progress from my memoir, “You Lied to Me About God” in my chapter on

Another amazing member of our leadership team who is helping do the work and supporting the LGBTQ+ community in fantastic ways!

Today we are spotlighting Kurt Landis, who is one of our therapists and our group and case management coordinator!

There are many reasons why I am passionate about creating and providing affirming mental health and addiction services for those who are LGBTQ+. Through my own journey of identifying as gay and my own struggles with addiction and mental health, I have discovered how important it is to be represented and affirmed by your treatment providers. It is my personal mission to improve the quality of life in the Toledo region for members of the LGBTQ+ community. I have pursued this by helping to create a training on Trauma-Informed Care and the LGBTQ+ community and have provided this training to 100+ professionals across multiple states. Additionally, I have helped to create the NW Ohio LGBTQ+ Coalition which was created to help improve the quality of life for LGBTQ+ folks in our region and is presently working to create an LGBTQ+ Affirming Healthcare/Mental Health provider list. Lastly, I have ensured that our group and case management services at Fuse Recovery are LGBTQ+ affirming spaces. All of us deserve to feel seen, heard, affirmed, and valued by our community and our treatment providers. ~ Kurt Landis

“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” – Brené Brown

Today we are spotlighting Ashley a pivotal part of our Fuse family and and avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ community!

"As many areas of the United States become less and less safe and affirming for the LGBTQ+ community, it becomes increasingly more important for me to help create safe, affirming spaces for my clients, the my co-workers, and myself. Fuse has always been a true home to me, providing a safe space to explore my identity and place in the LGBTQ+ community. I love that my clients feel and receive this safety as well, not only from me, but from any staff member in the office. I appreciate the welcoming, understanding, and learning-focused atmosphere that truly brings everyone into the Fuse Family, whether client or staff. Working somewhere that allows me to be genuine and fosters that for everyone supports me in my mission as a social worker to bring safety, acceptance, connection, and belonging to the people I work with. As sexuality and gender identities become more and more contentious, I will continue to live more loudly and proudly to be a person who pushes for rights of all humans to live their truth, take up their space, and show up safely in authenticity."

Happy Pride!

Take a look at why my co-worker, Rebecca Juliana, MSW, LSW, views Fuse Trauma Recovery as an LGBTQ+-affirming agency!

For Pride season we will be spotlighting various staff members who are dedicated to serving our LGBTQ+ community. Today we will be spotlighting Rebecca Juliana!

"At Fuse, I really feel like I am part of the family with my coworkers- and it's a priority that we extend this warmth and security to the clients we serve. We are all dedicated to creating a welcoming space that fosters belonging and honors every part of our clients' identities. Coming to understand my own identity and getting to decide what it means for me to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community while in a straight appearing relationship is some of the most important personal work I have done in my life - this work prepares me to be there for clients looking for the language to describe themselves and looking for support in their self-discovery journeys. I want to ensure every client that walks into the Fuse office feels comfortable, safe, and empowered to be their truest self, whatever that may mean to them, and to know that they will be fully embraced by the staff at Fuse. We've created a space where we can love and respect each other for all the things that make us human. My personal favorite LGBTQIA+ affirming space at Fuse is our mental health group, Clinical Roll. We use tabletop storytelling and roleplaying games as the therapeutic tool to explore and discover new things about identity, find creative solutions to problems, and learn to communicate with one another in a group therapy setting. Dungeons & Dragons has always been a place for "the outcast" - but at Fuse, everyone belongs at the table."

Some helpful questions to ascertain if your provider is trauma-informed and a good fit for your needs when working through the hard things.

Reminder for being kind to yourself, even with hard things.

And just like that, we are ready! Come say hello!

Happy Pride!🌈🌈🌈

At Fuse, we do the work to support our LGBTQ+ clients and staff. The safety created in this atmosphere has been one of my favorite parts of working at Fuse Trauma & Addiction Recovery!

Trauma can happen to anyone.

British Olympic Superstar Mo Farah Reveals He Was Trafficked As A Child "For years I just kept blocking it out," the long-distance runner told the BBC. "But you can only block it out for so long."

Fuse Trauma & Addiction Recovery's other owner, Riann Tippett, shares on how her lived experience being part of the LGBTQ+ community impacted the way she helped to conceptualize the ethos and culture of the agency. Check it out.

"When Deann approached me about joining her in a partnership to develop Fuse, I was of course beyond excited! To finally be a part of a practice that was intentionally focused on compassion, integrity, and understanding our clients and staff as unique individuals, was an unimaginable dream. These ideals have blossomed into an inclusive and affirming culture for all individuals that enter our doors, including our staff members. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, being a part of the development of this culture is truly a personal undertaking. I grew up in a small town, and in a time, where identity and sexuality were not discussed. This experience allowed me to intimately understand the importance of representation and affirmation of ones lived experiences. Exploring and ultimately understanding our identity as individuals is a myriad of complexity on a good day but is made infinitely more difficult if you feel invisible or dismissed in this endeavor. Therefore, it is so vital to Fuse that our clinicians feel that they can be their authentic selves as this translates into affirming support for our clients and their unique, individual needs. As Pride month comes to a close, I want to thank all of the LGBTQ+ community members that came before me and those that currently walk beside me, as I am truly inspired on a daily basis by this community’s grit." ~ Riann Tippett

Check out some words from Deann, one of our owners Fuse Trauma & Addiction Recovery on how we serve the LGBTQ+ community.

"We created Fuse because of the suffering of our community’s marginalized populations and our knowledge and understanding of how trauma therapy and a compassionate approach can help people heal. Throughout its inception, we prioritized Fuse being a safe place for every single person in our community, and we carry that into our daily operations. I am so grateful for the help with the vision, but I am humbled by the lessons I continue to learn from my clients, partners, and co-workers.

I grew up loving all people; I didn't “see” color, I didn’t “see” gender, and I didn’t “see” sexuality. I just saw everyone as part of my community, my family. I was under a false premise that by NOT seeing racism, sexuality, biases, aggression, and microaggressions, I was not adding to the suffering of people I loved. I was wrong. My ignorance contributed to the pain and because their issues were not “socially accepted,” they were forced to endure more suffering from the people who were claiming to be helping them.

I have learned, and continue to learn, that I need to listen compassionately to those who are suffering. I no longer tell them to “think positively”, or to compare my trauma with theirs. I am learning to ask them “tell me more,” and ``how can I help?” even when it's uncomfortable and difficult to look at. This approach allows me to be present, without judgment, when they share their stories with me. Unfortunately, I see so many well-intended people react in the worst possible ways to their loved ones and to others within their community.

I am so grateful for those who have helped me create a place where all are safe, where all are heard, and where all can find healing--including me. This is why it is so important that Fuse recognizes PRIDE month, and that we celebrate NW Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community so that we can bring compassion, love, acceptance, and belonging within this beautiful, diverse community." ~ Deann Gossard

Check out Rebecca Juliana over at Fuse Trauma & Addiction Recovery! She's one of my favorite people and is doing some exciting things for our clients!

Highlighting my co-worker, Amanda, today! So glad to work with amazing people who do work within the LGBTQ+ community!

"There is already such a stigma in mental health that people are afraid to come forward and ask for help. When you add on being a part of the LGBTQ+ community a whole new layer of fear is added into the mix. There is fear of judgment, being mistreated or completely being denied service because of how you identify yourself. I think that is what keeps a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community fearful of finding a therapist or provider; we never know how they are going to respond when we answer the question “whats your sexual orientation?”. I have my own story of struggling with mental health and finding the support I needed. While working in mental health and addiction I have heard so many other similar stories that were similar to mine. I think there is a real need to have a safe place for people to go and feel heard while knowing they are getting the care they need. It has become a passion of mine as a social worker in Toledo to never let a client walk into my office and feel that shame or fear. I think that is what makes Fuse Recovery so different from any other practice in the Toledo area. We are a cohesive unit and work together to find solutions and to create an atmosphere where no one has to walk in our door and fear shame or discrimination due to their sexual orientation. There is a sense of safety and security here and I think that is one of the biggest barriers to people seeking treatment in Northwest Ohio." ~ Amanda Glassford

💗💗💗

Stop over to the Fuse Trauma & Addiction Recovery page and check out my staff spotlight for Pride month!