We Can Do Better

I often reflect back on the year before ROOTs opened. I had left my job of 10 years. The COVID pandemic had begun, which forced me into homeschooling 3 children, and our industry was under serious criticism for its “unethical” practices. It gave me a serious pause. What was I doing trying to start a program in the midst of this chaos? I grieved a lot that year. I questioned myself and the practices I had committed my life’s work to for over a decade. I became curious about what was being said on social media and other platforms. I cried a lot. At times I got overly focused on the lies and lost sight of my own perspective. I wanted to run from the opportunity to start ROOTs. Instead I slowed down long enough to hear a very important truth – We can do better.

As a therapist, I have had to become very good at not getting lost in every word that my clients say. Instead I focus on pulling out themes and patterns so that they can reflect on how they can work through their pain and potentially challenge the way they are contributing to their own suffering. I realized that as an industry we too were contributing to our own suffering if we didn’t slow down and listen to the themes and patterns past and present clients were exposing.

Starting ROOTs became the way I validated what I heard through shifting practices that were no longer serving our clients. In fact, they were hurting them. I can confidently say that most of us did not set out to hurt our clients. Most of us came into this industry to help, provide safety and give back to a community that once possibly served us.

I consider that year a privilege. I had the space and time to listen when many others were in the direct line of fire.  Now, having experienced this firsthand, I think it is even more important that we continue to listen to the feedback even when it’s painful. Below are some of my key takeaways from that year.