Founder:
Emily Decker (she/they)
​MS, LPC
Therapist, Educator, Advocate

Who We Are

This practice was founded in 2016 by a multiply-disabled queer woman with a central aim to provide accessible therapy to Oregon residents who live with chronic health issues, disability, and trauma histories. We have grown into a collective of therapists who all have lived experience with disabilities.

How We Practice

 We strive first and always to practice anti-ableist, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive therapy. We engage in regular continuing education around topics of oppression, disability, and trauma. We support each other, share resources, challenge each other, and work collaboratively to meet the needs of the clients we serve.

​We exclusively provide telehealth services at this time.

How We Advocate

We recognize the ways in which intersecting identities (such as disability status, race, gender expression, affective orientation, etc) can impact a person's experiences. We work to interrupt and challenge oppressive social systems that marginalize individuals and communities. Each clinician at Atlas Mental Health is actively involved in community action and advocacy outside of, yet in partnership with, our clinical roles.​

What is Disability?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990), a person with a disability is anyone who:
  • Has a physical, mental, or emotional condition which makes it hard to function in one or more life domains (work, school, relationships, etc);
  • Has a history of such a condition; or
  • Is perceived by others as having such a condition.

So what does this mean for our practice? It means that we serve anyone who experiences any kind of difficulties with mental, cognitive, and/or physical symptoms that make their lives harder. We also work with anyone who loves or cares for someone with any kind of mental health concern or disability. We work with anyone struggling, or supporting someone who struggles, in a world that isn't designed for them.

This also means that we recognize that communities who are commonly perceived as disabled but may not self-identify that way, such as the Deaf, Blind, and Autistic communities, are valid and whole just as they are, while also living in a world that isn't designed for them. We affirm that people who no longer need consistent medical intervention for past conditions, such as people in remission from cancer or survivors of childhood illness, can still feel wholly changed and continuously impacted by their past experiences and ongoing interactions with the medical field. 

Consider these quotes from disabled activists as they define what disability means to them:
"Disability is not a brave struggle or courage in the face of adversity. Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live."

- Neil Marcus, playwright and disability activist
​

"[Disability] is an oppression of difference rather than an impairment."
​
​- Jaipreet Virdi, Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware, Deaf Activist ​

What is Trauma?
Trauma doesn't just come from violence or cruel words. Trauma can also come from the wounds we carry from unmet needs, from rejection and exclusion, from living in a community or society where we are disempowered, disrespected, or disengaged. We affirm that living within an oppressive society can lead to stress, burnout, and even trauma.

“Contrary to what we may have been taught to think, unnecessary and unchosen suffering wounds us but need not scar us for life. It does mark us. What we allow the mark of our suffering to become is in our own hands.”

- bell hooks, feminist author of All About Love: New Visions

Why Telehealth?
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic's continued influence on our society, our founder outlined a lot of the reasons why we use telehealth in this blog post (which predates the Pandemic). In short, telehealth allows for the greatest balance of flexibility, accessibility, and safety, particularly for clinicians and clients who are immunocompromised or find travel difficult. 

Please note that Atlas Mental Health does not have a physical office location, and our clinicians practice exclusively through teletherapy.

Advocacy from our Therapists

Emily is Presenting!

Join Emily as she presents on accessibility and anti-oppressive practices in telehealth for Person Centered Tech, live on October 25, 2024. Session will be recorded and available to stream after the fact.

Click here for more information and to reserve your place today!
We value your privacy. Please opt out of any cookies you don't want.

This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

Opt Out of Cookies
Proud Member of TherapyDen
In this practice, we show respect and love to everyone. We actively oppose racism, colorism, sexism, ableism, genderism, ageism, transphobia, homophobia, biphobia, nationalism, religious and cultural intolerance, and all other forms of discrimination. We use our work to dismantle the systematic injustices done to members of all marginalized communities.
You can log into the portal to schedule or reschedule appointments, message your clinician, or find your records.
Mailing Address:
9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 62871, Beaverton, OR 97008-7105
Note that this is mailing only, no employees are on site at this address!
​
Phone: 971-218-2879
Fax: 833-675-9545
Header photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash