SARAH BURNETTE HEMPHILL, LCSW, MASJ

Sarah specializes in clinical ethics for marginalized populations. She is an associate professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she teaches courses on Clinical Theory, Health Psychology, and Diversity in Clinical Practice. Sarah is the proud founder of Xylem Psychotherapy, providing trauma-informed psychodynamic therapy and affirming sex workers and those psychology has historically stigmatized. She is is passionate about mentoring students and clinicians who want to support sexual minority populations and work from a liberation psychology perspective.

Sarah is currently taking applications for new clinical supervises.

Topics of past trainings and publications: Challenging Bias; Ethics in Clinical Practice; Supporting Sex Workers; Medical and Transplant Social Work; Trauma-Informed Care

You can reach Sarah at XylemTherapy@gmial.com or 312.899.6764

PAT COCHRAN, PSYD

Pat has spent her decades in the practice of psychotherapy fascinated with the process of growth and transformation--how that happens and how to help others to manifest that. So she is particularly keen to explore those topics with other therapists, and mentor them into the change and growth agents they wish to be.

Topics: As a Jungian analyst, she has presented on such depth psychotherapy topics as transference and countertransference, the therapeutic relationship, working with complexes, using fairy tales as a narrative framework; among many others. She is most interested in supporting therapists finding their own voice and ground.

CASSANDRA DAMM, LCSW, MA

Cassandra’s psychotherapy and consulting work focus on improving lives of people who experience marginalization due to gender and sexuality. They use a strongly relational approach informed by multiple modalities including EMDR, cognitive behavioral interventions, strengths based interventions, somatic therapy, and DBT interventions. At the core, the journey of therapy is a process of knowing oneself and the world around us, and is inextricable from social justice movements and self-work. Additional areas of their treatment and educational focus include problematic substance use, complex trauma, affective disorders, and anxiety disorders.

MERYL MORRIS, LCSW

Meryl has engaged with families and individuals in crisis for over two decades. She brings not only her training, but her own sense of marginalization to the forefront of helping couples and individuals explore new pathways and build new foundations for themselves and their partners. Meryl’s skills and insights allow her to walk side by side with her clients and create a supportive, affirming and compassionate environment in which healing can happen. Her approach is collaborative and non- judgmental. She believes her journey with her clients begins by listening and being present for their stories.

Topics: Meryl has trained in Depth Therapy and Mediation. She has presented on panels and seminars on the effects of divorce on children, parental/family/couples communication and on how to guide workplaces in becoming more gender inclusive. She has also worked with many individuals and couples in navigating the difficulties of finding safe spaces in the kink and BDSM communities while being a person of color.

BRIDGID O'CONNELL, LCSW

Bridgid is a depth psychotherapist who values diversity, creativity, and inclusion in her practice. Driven by her goal to promote the process of healing, she is deeply committed to exploring the integral effects of the larger societal and cultural environment in which identity and relationships around sexual orientation and class are shaped. She provides specialized care to clients marginalized for their gender and sexuality, relationship structure, erotic preferences, and substance use. Through the process of examining transgenerational patterns, complex trauma, anxiety, and depression, she works with clients to unveil the deeper meaning their struggle is pointing towards.

You can reach her at oconnellpsychotherapy@gmail.com

AVI VODNOY WOLF, LCPC, R-DMT

Avi is a trans masculine psychotherapist and dance/movement therapist who works in private practice at EQ Mental Health where he supports folks who are commonly misunderstood by therapists: queer and trans people, kinky people, actors and artists. He works with clients who feel emotionally overwhelmed to express and contain emotion, and to explore new patterns and identities. His specialties are working with anxiety, depression, trauma, questions about gender and sexuality, and chronic pain. As a drag king, theatre artist, and researcher, he has spent the last ten years focused on actors’ mental health. Through his research, he created and now facilitates Offstage Equilibrium, which teaches actors skills for exiting emotion and character. You can see this work on Instagram at @offstage.equilibrium.

You can contact Avi at aviwolftherapy@gmail.com or through his website EQmentalhealth.com.

Croxen D. Winter, IP

"For almost six decades, I lived as an imaginary person." Thus begins Croxen D. Winter's autobiography Imaginary Person Has Real Experiences (Bad Ones!). If anyone has ideas for the rest, please share.

One day, these lovely quotes will be presented in a lovely animated quote scroll:

"There is no substitute for the body in action, in the direct knowing of itself."

- Mae Dupp

"I've picked up a few things. I know if you want songbirds, plant berry trees. If you don't want birds, buy a rubber snake."

- C.D. Wright, from the poem "Scratch Music"

"The desired effect is what you get when you improve your interplanetary funksmanship."

- Lollipop Man (aka the Long Haired Sucker)

"Curious how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want."

- Mr. Spock

Croxen organizied the Spring 2022 Imaginary Person's Conference.