“By choosing this position, I’ve made the decision to invest more of my life in this organization and this community—a community where I’ve felt comfortable and accepted since joining—and wish to live as authentically as you have all modeled.” —Miles Cook

This is an excerpt from my coming-out email shortly after accepting my position as the intern specialist for The Center for Trauma & Resilience (CTR). Coming out to everyone I had been working with for over a year was daunting; more daunting than the idea of supervising interns after having just been one. The difficulty was not in fear of repercussions, but in the need to attempt to express in words the deep and uplifting role CTR had played in my life.

This organization has been able to effectively implement so many practices that I’d only heard of as theory in other offices: unconditional positive regard, self-care, community engagement, etc. The principles of safety and diversity were not buzzwords here in the same way they were in my university classes or previous jobs. At CTR, people lived and breathed trauma-informed care and diverse perspectives displayed by actual diverse people! I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by people of color, people with neurodiversities, people of different genders, people who are elders, people who are queer, people who are immigrants, and many others who were not just the clients but the ones in charge. I was surrounded by people who weren’t exactly like me, who I nevertheless worked with easily and productively. It was an environment bursting with compassion and good sense (a rare combination in individuals, much less an organization), and I was eager to challenge myself and become a part of it.

Before being offered a position, I was hesitant to show all aspects of myself. I worried about finding an environment to fully become myself in, with all the medical, bureaucratic and personal ugliness that comes with it. I feared sharing the discomfort would burden coworkers and clients alike. Instead, I was accommodated and supported. Together we brainstormed what would be the best solutions for everyone without compromising my needs. In trauma work we’ve seen how the process is not straightforward, but a series of small victories, failures, feelings of being stuck, confident strides forward, and not so confident backtracking. Since coming out I’ve experienced a lot of those moments—delayed surgeries, awkward conversations, finding love, filling out lots and lots of forms—but what made the situation infinitely better was to celebrate the peaks and be consoled during the valleys by my coworkers. I can’t think of any other place where I could have learned more about myself and my work during this time than with CTR.

The Center for Trauma & Resilience exudes an aura of personal transformation and healing. People are able to change here, and the staff will be there with you through all parts of that change. They are not just there for the shiny results depicted in medication commercials, but through the rough, and often uncomfortable, journey that challenges both the person changing and the people standing with them. As in my experience, I was surrounded by the love of an amazing and dedicated crew and had a newfound sense of belonging. Thanks to their support, I was able to move through the original discomfort I felt and come out of this process more resilient and confident. Moreover, I was able to instill this newfound dedication and grounding into my sessions with clients. Once I felt safe that I could be truly present and authentic at work, I was able to provide the kind of care that I could be proud of.