Hi, My name is Michelle. I am a fully licensed social worker and a queer, woman of color therapist providing mental health services in Washington State. I launched my private practice in October 2021 to pivot my career from a long stint in non-profit and community mental health work during the height of lockdown during the pandemic in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the mental health crisis in the United States and the shortage of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) licensed providers in our country. I opened my private practice to find a different way to serve BIPOC and other marginalized communities as an essential worker on the front lines. The populations I work with are clients that mirror similar cultural identities and marginalized experiences, and various experiences of complex trauma. Here is my Psychology Today profile on how I market myself to potential clients: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/michelle-jaquish-burien-wa/809610 

As a newer smaller business owner that is just starting out, it is imperative that I make sure I keep getting trained to provide culturally-relevant therapy services as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and change mental health support needs in these communities, specifically training around ways that clients can reclaim their bodily autonomy and traumatic responses. I am asking for your financial support in the early stages of getting Eye Movement Desensitization and Re-Processing (EMDR) trained.The River's Edge Institute is having an all-virtual EMDR in Color training coming up in May and June of 2021 that I would like to sign-up for to start this certification process. Here is their website with more info: https://www.riversedgeinstitute.com/emdr-in-color/

This training is $1400, which is currently out of my budget range as a small business owner still in the start-up phases of her private therapy practice. There are also other additional costs such as the purchase of a $45 textbook, $ for supervision consultation after the completion of this training as part of the pathway to getting EMDR-certified through the EMDR International Association to complete the process. Additionally, I would have to cancel client sessions during training days in order to meet attendance requirements and retain the information to be able to provide this therapeutic intervention in my practice.

Being a new small business owner has its ebbs and flows in terms of profit, compounded by being a single income, queer woman of color building a business adding extra layer of disproportionality with limited financial resources. I recently became credentialed on the majority of insurance providers in January of 2021, after applying in October of 2021. I was approved to take my clinical licensure exam in April of 2021 to become a fully licensed social worker, after multiple back and forth communication with the Washington State Department of Health since October of 2020 in finalizing my application materials while they operated at half capacity due to the pandemic. I've cut back on personal finances, utilizing public assistance programs as I continue to grow my business to supplement my food and groceries, establish contracts with group practices and telehealth companies to increase visibility, marketing with hopes for a financially stable source of income further down the road. As of right now, I break even after paying for recurring overhead expenses and taking home a small profit as I save for quarterly taxes. 

Please help my clinical training dreams come true in supporting my EMDR certification so I can raise my cash pay rates, insurance reimbursement rates with insurance, which will overall financially sustain my therapy practice and small business. The early-bird registration closes March 15th, and they have a 4-payment plan option of $350/month between March and May to pay off the full cost of the training. Your humble financial support and shares on community platforms will make this goal attainable to increase my business and clinical expertise as a licensed therapist.