Earlier in her social work career, she was troubled because she did not often see the positive result of a client seeking help, a situation she believes leads to burnout. It’s one of the ways she feels she has been able to have the most impact. While she acknowledges that no one can guarantee safety, we can do the work to create safer spaces for each other. As Erin says, “I don’t believe any of us should ever have to ask for permission to exist.”īelonging is central to our wellbeing, and Erin points to its presence among Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as proof of that. Now I have language for it, but the sense of belonging didn’t exist for me.” As she grew, being able to connect with her own sense of belonging allowed her to see it was possible for others too, and creating spaces of belonging is now a focus of her work. She recalls it was difficult, “… being queer, growing up Black when there weren’t other Black folks around. Recently, Erin talked with us about the need for spaces of belonging for youth and all of us.Įrin has understood the importance of belonging since she was young. Through these roles and a career as a social worker and professor, Erin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on trauma recovery, “empowered resilience,” and social change. Franklin County Suicide Prevention CoalitionĮrin Upchurch, MSSA, LISW-S, will be one of the presenters at MHAOhio’s annual Youth Mental Health Conference on September 29, Understanding the Impact of Racial Trauma on Youth and Emerging Adults.Įrin is the Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Youth Center, a drop-in center for LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies, and co-founder of The Ohio REST Collective, which offers a variety of services for individuals, groups and organizations seeking to foster equity, inclusion and harm reduction.
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