For Real Therapy Office and Event Space
Donation protected
As a black clinical psychologist, the task in front of me is clear: administer the value of mental health in our community, expand the spaces where therapy can occur, and offer direct opportunity/training for POC in the field of mental health. We are asking for financial assistance to help support the expansion, education, training, and clinical offerings to POC and marginalized communities in Chicago.
This is not an easy task we have significant financial, educational, and systemic barriers. Furthermore, The American Psychological Association (APA) knows there are not enough diverse voices within the field of mental health.
DIRECTLY FROM THE APA WEBSITE:
In 2015, 86% of psychologists in the U.S. workforce were white, 5% were Asian, 5 percent were Hispanic, 4% were black/African-American, and 1% were multiracial or from other racial/ethnic groups. This is less diverse than the U.S. population as a whole, which is 62% white and 38% racial/ethnic minority.
The organizations and social justice initiatives calling for significant reform or the defunding of police relate that an essential aspect of evolving our communities necessitates the expansion of guidance counselors, therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other social services based roles.
How do we get there if we are not aligning ourselves and encouraging POC to participate? How do we get there if we are not offering proper training? How do we get there if we don't have supervisors, mentors, and leaders who represent diverse perspectives?
For Real Spaces is one way I am choosing to engage this question. In the next few months, we will be aggressively and assertively positioning this organization to hire, fund, train, and work with minority communities in Chicago.
WHAT YOUR CONTRIBUTION CAN DO:
- Allow us to continue to offer sliding scale prices & pro bono services to individuals in need.
- Create opportunities to train, educate, & hire POC in the social services field.
- Give us room to breathe & ensure we can bring/invite people to work out of the space that can really contribute to our community.
- All proceeds from this fundraiser will literally go toward building the walls of our project. You will be directly assisting in creating a unique space that’s never existed before.
It is my belief that we can elevate the standard in which therapeutic services are offered - that we can demonstrate to the world at large that seeking out mental health is no longer something to hide or conceal. This space is a part of that. I want to create a space where rather than believing that people who go there are “ill” — instead we have a space that says loudly:
“This is where we go to evolve ourselves”…
WHAT YOU'RE HELPING TO CREATE WITH YOUR DONATION:
For Real Spaces is about creating a tangible therapeutic experience. Our mission is to alter the way our current cultural climate perceives mental health. This is a venue that not only caters to a diverse group of clinicians (we host 5 offices in the space), but also offer an opportunity to directly engage our community as an event space for art, mental health groups, impromptu dance parties, book clubs, as well as place to host discussions surrounding advocacy, education, and other issues my clients view as important.
The space is beautiful, it's located in one of the most residential/commercially vibrant areas in Chicago, and it's conveniently accessible via public transportation.
HISTORY:
My name is Fabrice Robert Lubin. I am the son of Haitian immigrants, a father of two, and a black clinical psychologist who has been working in the Chicagoland area for a decade.
Since I was 15 years old, I have pursued a professional career in psychology. I entered my graduate program as the only Haitian-American student, not to mention one of only a handful of men who identified as Black. Unlike many of my peers and colleagues, I come from a cultural background with limited access to information, education, and resources regarding mental health.
Due to this, I have devoted my time reaching out within my community to openly and proudly represent my diverse background and to interweave it into my therapy practice directly. Frankly, there is an enormous under-representation in our community of therapists and mental health professionals of color. I have been inspired by the clients I have been fortunate to come across during this time. The majority of them are new to mental health and came from families or social systems that did not prepare them to understand their experiences with depression, anxiety, addiction, and/or severe mental illness.
Having worked in so many different settings, I have experienced one clear take away:
The spaces we are asking people to heal are not designed for this purpose.
My goal has been to embrace what I have learned from those around me and use those lessons to continue to evolve. As a therapist, I am constantly challenging my clients to embrace risk for the sake of their values (cause, you know, Brene Brown or something) so I decided to take the advice I always give them, and as of May 31st, 2019, I leased an office on the six corners of Wicker Park that was a former dance studio.
This space was chosen because it allows for a unique office layout that's flexible to house both offices AND space to allow people to move around.
To complete the build-out, I put in a substantial amount of my personal savings. My goals have proved to be more ambitious than originally planned, and have therefore resulted in unforeseen costs. Furthermore, my wife has been taken a substantial amount of time out from her own work as a freelance artist to help paint and design the space.
I have been successful in getting this project started and the build-out is mostly complete at this point. However, the costs of running and maintaining a community oriented space are constantly mounting, especially amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m asking for help.
Thank you so much for your time. I am hoping to see you at the space soon! — Dr. Fabrice Robert Lubin
This is not an easy task we have significant financial, educational, and systemic barriers. Furthermore, The American Psychological Association (APA) knows there are not enough diverse voices within the field of mental health.
DIRECTLY FROM THE APA WEBSITE:
In 2015, 86% of psychologists in the U.S. workforce were white, 5% were Asian, 5 percent were Hispanic, 4% were black/African-American, and 1% were multiracial or from other racial/ethnic groups. This is less diverse than the U.S. population as a whole, which is 62% white and 38% racial/ethnic minority.
The organizations and social justice initiatives calling for significant reform or the defunding of police relate that an essential aspect of evolving our communities necessitates the expansion of guidance counselors, therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other social services based roles.
How do we get there if we are not aligning ourselves and encouraging POC to participate? How do we get there if we are not offering proper training? How do we get there if we don't have supervisors, mentors, and leaders who represent diverse perspectives?
For Real Spaces is one way I am choosing to engage this question. In the next few months, we will be aggressively and assertively positioning this organization to hire, fund, train, and work with minority communities in Chicago.
WHAT YOUR CONTRIBUTION CAN DO:
- Allow us to continue to offer sliding scale prices & pro bono services to individuals in need.
- Create opportunities to train, educate, & hire POC in the social services field.
- Give us room to breathe & ensure we can bring/invite people to work out of the space that can really contribute to our community.
- All proceeds from this fundraiser will literally go toward building the walls of our project. You will be directly assisting in creating a unique space that’s never existed before.
It is my belief that we can elevate the standard in which therapeutic services are offered - that we can demonstrate to the world at large that seeking out mental health is no longer something to hide or conceal. This space is a part of that. I want to create a space where rather than believing that people who go there are “ill” — instead we have a space that says loudly:
“This is where we go to evolve ourselves”…
WHAT YOU'RE HELPING TO CREATE WITH YOUR DONATION:
For Real Spaces is about creating a tangible therapeutic experience. Our mission is to alter the way our current cultural climate perceives mental health. This is a venue that not only caters to a diverse group of clinicians (we host 5 offices in the space), but also offer an opportunity to directly engage our community as an event space for art, mental health groups, impromptu dance parties, book clubs, as well as place to host discussions surrounding advocacy, education, and other issues my clients view as important.
The space is beautiful, it's located in one of the most residential/commercially vibrant areas in Chicago, and it's conveniently accessible via public transportation.
HISTORY:
My name is Fabrice Robert Lubin. I am the son of Haitian immigrants, a father of two, and a black clinical psychologist who has been working in the Chicagoland area for a decade.
Since I was 15 years old, I have pursued a professional career in psychology. I entered my graduate program as the only Haitian-American student, not to mention one of only a handful of men who identified as Black. Unlike many of my peers and colleagues, I come from a cultural background with limited access to information, education, and resources regarding mental health.
Due to this, I have devoted my time reaching out within my community to openly and proudly represent my diverse background and to interweave it into my therapy practice directly. Frankly, there is an enormous under-representation in our community of therapists and mental health professionals of color. I have been inspired by the clients I have been fortunate to come across during this time. The majority of them are new to mental health and came from families or social systems that did not prepare them to understand their experiences with depression, anxiety, addiction, and/or severe mental illness.
Having worked in so many different settings, I have experienced one clear take away:
The spaces we are asking people to heal are not designed for this purpose.
My goal has been to embrace what I have learned from those around me and use those lessons to continue to evolve. As a therapist, I am constantly challenging my clients to embrace risk for the sake of their values (cause, you know, Brene Brown or something) so I decided to take the advice I always give them, and as of May 31st, 2019, I leased an office on the six corners of Wicker Park that was a former dance studio.
This space was chosen because it allows for a unique office layout that's flexible to house both offices AND space to allow people to move around.
To complete the build-out, I put in a substantial amount of my personal savings. My goals have proved to be more ambitious than originally planned, and have therefore resulted in unforeseen costs. Furthermore, my wife has been taken a substantial amount of time out from her own work as a freelance artist to help paint and design the space.
I have been successful in getting this project started and the build-out is mostly complete at this point. However, the costs of running and maintaining a community oriented space are constantly mounting, especially amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m asking for help.
Thank you so much for your time. I am hoping to see you at the space soon! — Dr. Fabrice Robert Lubin
Organizer
Fabrice Robert Lubin
Organizer
Chicago, IL
