News at Abri
BLACK LIVES MATTER
To our Abri Radically Open DBT Community,
We at Abri have been strongly impacted by the protests that have rocked our city, country, and the world this past month following the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others due to state-sanctioned violence. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and all who fight racism, injustice, and structural inequality.
In our treatment, Radically Open DBT, we actively ask clients (and ourselves) to turn into discomfort, ask the hard questions and shine a light on blind spots to learn. For those of us who would be white allies, this is what is being asked of us now – “Can I truly be present and honest with myself, even if it hurts?” “Can I learn if my actions or inactions have caused harm or contribute to systems that cause harm, and do better?”
At Abri, we believe in the healing power of intimacy and relationship – real transformative relationships, that aren’t transactional. We all need to feel that there is at least one other person who truly gets us and has our back. It is protective. And opening our hearts and minds to people who are different from us – whether by race, income, sexual orientation, age, ability, size, gender identification, or religion – can lead to that transformation. We are better together.
We also believe in value-driven behavior with kindness first and foremost as our guiding value. We recognize that it is not enough to have kind intent but rather it is the impact of our actions that matter most.
Again, we are better together. As a practice, we commit to continually deepening our inner-work, and outwardly to keep pushing for real and lasting change.
The Abri Team
Kirsten, LiLin, Shadee, Amber, CéShaun and Lisa
Join us on December 4th for a free professional CEU event, RO DBT for Times of Chaotic Change
Abri therapists with RO DBT developer Dr. Thomas Lynch, his wife Erica and RO DBT trainer Dr. Nicole Little at the RO DBT intensive in Salt Lake City in October.
In September, LiLin and Kirsten travelled to France for the second bi-annual Radically Open DBT Senior Clinician Retreat at Tom and Erica’s lovely home, Les Palmousses. The learning was rich, as was connecting and laughing with senior clinicians from throughout the US and England over delicious local food and wine on the terrace. We left feeling grateful for the experience and our community.
On April 5, 2019, LiLin and Kirsten threw an open house to celebrate Abri Radically Open DBT. The treatment founder, Dr. Thomas Lynch and his wife Erica were on hand to help us celebrate as well as dozens of beloved friends, family members and colleagues who came out to wish us well. As we say in RO, “we are better together.”
On April 13, 2019, several members of the senior clinician team gathered at Opal Food and Body Wellness in Seattle (thanks to the generosity of our host and fellow senior clinician – Dr. Lexi Gilbin) to consult, do self-enquiry and to produce a training film. Much fun was had.
