Our Cultural Values:
“We believe that diversity is always a strength, and aim to foster an environment of trust, respect, and openness where diverse beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors can be explored and discussed safely.”
- MindWell Team Commitment
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Our mission is to provide culturally informed, research-based outpatient mental health care to children and adults to alleviate psychological suffering, increase our clients’ sense of meaning and purpose, and to support thriving and resilient communities. We provide a balance of autonomy, support, and continuous education for our staff and train future mental health providers to become skilled in the compassionate care of our community.
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Comprehensive, effective, culturally informed mental health services are available to residents of Vermont and New York State in a model that promotes the well-being of providers and improves the experience of delivering and receiving mental health care.
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We commit to providing services that affirm the dignity, worth, and value of all individuals. As a practice, we strive to provide culturally informed care that is grounded in cultural humility. We seek to understand and honor individual differences, including but not limited to experiences related to: race, ethnicity, national origin, religious and spiritual beliefs, gender, sexuality, physical and mental abilities, size and appearance, and socio-economic status.
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We believe in the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe that diversity is always a strength, and aim to foster an environment of trust, respect and openness where diverse beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors can be explored and discussed safely. As therapists and individuals, we believe that we are informed both by our personal experiences, as well as the institutional, systemic, and historical contexts that we have been socialized in. We believe that how we think, feel and act are shaped by these experiences and contexts, and that examining these reactions with a critical lens is an essential part of the therapeutic process. We engage in ongoing education and training to actively unlearn aspects of our societal upbringing and education that have led to unconscious biases. We believe that this work is never completed. We genuinely believe in the inherent human capacity for growth and change, and in our ability to unlearn unhealthy and harmful beliefs and behaviors about ourselves and the diverse world we live in, while we strive towards a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
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We approach our clinical work with the understanding that identities can be both visible and invisible, and that intersecting identities mean that an individual can experience privilege and oppression simultaneously. We understand that identifiable or perceived marginalized identities can have a significant impact on one’s daily lived experience. The impact of discrimination, inequality and microaggressions have been found to have a significant, measurable effect on one's mental and physical well-being. Our approach to clinical work is informed by this empirically validated research.
Diversity & Inclusion at MindWell
Highlights Of Inclusion Council Initiatives Accomplished So Far Include:
Development of Cultural Commitment (seen above)
Partnership with interdisciplinary community-based Transcare team
Systematic review and update of accessibility standards at each of our offices
Implementation of regular diversity training for all staff
Development of a Community Advisory Board comprised of local community leaders and nationally recognized scholars.
Expanding DEI component of onboarding
We Offer Regular & Ongoing Trainings For Our Staff.
Gender-affirming care guidelines and best practices
LGBTIA+ inclusive care provider training
Counseling considerations for neurodiverse individuals
Racial identity development; conceptualization and clinical implications
Identifying and understanding the implications of Microaggressions
Treating Race-Based Traumatic Stress
Addressing multicultural implications of measurement based care