Eugene Center for Anxiety and Stress of Oregon

Stress and anxiety in America do not happen in a vacuum, but in the American context, which furthers white, heterosexual, cisgender, thin, and able-bodied ideals that set conditions for reinforcing trauma, shame, and self-blame in addition to perpetuating oppression and discrimination. We believe that this societal and cultural understanding is essential to help all people feel truly heard and understood. As therapists, we take into consideration not only how your intersecting identities impact you as a person but also how experiences of discrimination, bias, and marginalization impact your mental health. Our therapists use a multicultural orientation to invite all clients to share their cultural backgrounds and identities in addition to their societal impact as they feel comfortable doing so. At ECAS, we value and affirm diverse identities and are committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all clients.

We are explicitly anti-oppression as a core value in our work. We recognize all types of diversity that leads to oppression in the American context, including ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, class, size, citizenship status, religion and ability. We acknowledge the systems of power that grant privilege and access unequally such that inequity and injustice result, and we are committed to dismantling these systems. As an organization, we show our commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression through self-examination and organizational examination of internalized biases, ideas, and areas of privilege on a regular basis (in monthly meetings focused on developing a multicultural organization). With clients, we show our commitment by providing a context to talk about the impact of oppression on their lived experience, and naming oppression when racist or hateful statements are made. We also bring awareness to the physical space clients enter when coming into our offices. We have gender inclusive bathrooms that are also ADA-compliant, include chairs in waiting rooms and offices to accommodate clients of different sizes, and choose art that is inclusive.