At Lycan Counseling Collective, we share a vision of working to build communities where queer and neurospicy people feel their voices matter, where they have access to support to navigate challenging transitions, and where they can build fulfilling lives.

Our mission is to provide wellness services that help foster hope and empower queer and neurospicy people to create change.

Here’s how we aim to accomplish this mission:

Fostering Hope : Feeling that we have the ability and determination to get through difficult experiences is the key to hope. Yet, there are times that deciding to take that first step is hard. We understand that unique challenges require individualized solutions.

Our goal is to provide that support by cultivating a diverse network of providers who are willing to walk with you on your path, give you the tools and skills necessary to face barriers, and encourage you to take the next step toward your goals.

Empowerment : Too often we feel that we do not have power and control over our situation. We feel we cannot speak out and, even if we could, we are not enough to enact the changes necessary to have a life worth living. Our goal is to help you tap into your power and walk beside you as an equal, NOT as someone with power over you. We are dedicated to creating spaces that are safe and accessible, and to connecting you to other resources that you can lean on throughout your journey.

Empowerment also requires us to take an approach that focuses on the wellness of the individual within the community at large. The most important way we work toward this goal is by continuously working to build community connection so that we can better understand the actual needs of members of marginalized communities, including: LGBTQIA2+, disabled, BIPOC, and neurodivergent.

Creating Change : Mental health challenges continue to carry stigma and are often seen as illnesses or sicknesses that require a cure or individual change. This is often not true. Having normalized responses to events is NOT sickness. When we struggle to be okay within community systems that are designed to sustain oppression, WE ARE NORMAL. Systemic problems can create long-term difficulty for people that we call illness, but that word shifts the focus away from the responsibility of the community systems and pathologizes the natural responses of individuals.

We believe that creativity plays a huge role in maintaining wellness and finding success. If we can be vulnerable, we can move through the hard things. Creative approaches might look like thinking outside of the box or might include using art and music. Our goal is to shift how we view mental and emotional wellness by utilizing a wide variety of creative approaches to demonstrate the power of meeting needs through expression, vulnerability, and connection.