Hello family, friends & community members!

I’d like to start off by saying thank you. Thank you for clicking this link & showing interest in supporting me - whether that’s by donating, reading my story or sharing this gofundme with someone you know.

Me & My History:

For those who don’t know me - my name is Morgan Lily McGlothan (often found online as morganlily or mooglily) - and I am a neurodivergent, Black, genderqueer woman from Los Angeles. I graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2017 with a BFA in Film/Video & I pursued a film-oriented career path for many years. I worked in the film industry and taught film to various ages, but I found dissatisfaction & conflict with this career path quickly after finishing my undergrad degree.

I’ve tried on many other hats since then - barista, model, personal assistant, retail associate, assistant admissions director - and though some roles brought some fulfillment, I continued to grapple with feeling confused, frustrated & misaligned with whatever career path I was on at the time.

At a particularly dark period in my mental health in late 2022, I knew I had to try to change careers again because the one I was pursuing at the time had left me in a concerning state of depression & suicidal ideation. I knew it wasn’t sustainable for me to keep trying the things I had been.

I checked myself into an Intensive Outpatient Program and during that time I reflected on what I had felt right about past career pursuits & what I felt I had to offer the world.

I realized in that program that connecting with people had been the element of each job that had lit me up no matter what. Checking in with a regular at a coffee shop, discussing the educational dreams of a college applicant, listening to people’s life stories as they shopped at the small boutique I worked in, sitting with a student one-on-one as they sheepishly told me about their crush - I fucking love people.

I found so much fulfillment in holding space for another’s joy, sadness, successes and pain. I realized I wanted to work with people as the primary focus of whatever career I would pursue. I wanted to sit with others, to support them, hear their stories, connect with them & challenge them in meaningful ways. I wanted to watch my own self grow in relation to them, to be a meaningful part of someone else’s story.

I decided then to bite the bullet & go back to school full-time to become a therapist.

So that's what leads us to today. 2 years after this pivot, I am finally the doorstep of earning my degree. I'm so close to finishing this leg of the journey, but I'm burned out from the relentless struggle of performing in academia with late-diagnosed ADHD, my bank account is nearly dried up & I've realized I need to ask for help to get through this hump.

The Problem:

For those who aren’t aware of the process of becoming a therapist (lucky you): while you’re in school you work as a therapist trainee. This is an unpaid position where you’re getting practice seeing clients alongside taking your classes & doing your schoolwork. It's...a lot.

After you graduate, you have to apply to the Board of Behavioral Science for an associate number. This number is the go-ahead that allows you to get hired & begin working as an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist for money. This process can take a month or so and it's this period of time that's causing my problem.

I don’t have any regular income or savings to help me transition from my time in school to paid employment. I have been communicating with clinical sites & licensed therapists - trying to set up circumstances to begin working as soon as possible. However there will be a gap in time where I’m no longer receiving loans from my school and am also not yet able to be employed as an associate therapist.

I live alone with my cats in a not-so-cheap 1 bedroom apartment, I am in mounds of credit card debt from 2 years of sustaining myself without a real job, my health insurance premium has doubled & I’m on medication I need to be on to function. I have to eat, feed my cats, pay my bills & my rent for this upcoming month - I need help.

The Ask:

I am aware that there is so much need in the world right now & it feels like there is little to go around. Many of us are struggling financially as costs rise on everything and wages don’t follow suit. But I knew that I’d encourage my clients or friends to reach out to their communities if they were in my circumstances & I believe there is magic to be found in community care. That belief in the magic of community is what’s outweighing the feelings of shame & self-judgement I’ve been facing as I’ve followed through on creating this GoFundMe.

In a typical month, my rent & bills alone are around $2,500-$3,000. This includes rent, electricity, wifi, gas, my phone bill, cat necessities, health insurance, necessary medications, my car payment & insurance, and the money I owe various financial institutions. With daily expenses like gas, groceries & toiletries that number increases.

I am hoping to raise around $4,000 so I can get by & also pay off some past-due bills that I’m struggling with.

I want to be clear that I am open to any & all support.

If you can’t donate but have some gig work I can do for money? Great! Reach out, let's connect!

Are you unable to donate but might know someone who can? Wonderful! Thank you for considering that option!

Are you able to donate only $1? No dollars? You can only share this GoFundMe to help me out? Please, yes! Thank you! Anything helps!

I truly am so insanely grateful that you would even be concerned with helping me when there are so many other things to care about in the world right now. I genuinely - genuinely - appreciate you.

You have no idea what your attention & care means to me in this time of anxiety & need. ❤️

TL;DR (so valid bestie - I know the above text was pretty long):

I am graduating my MA in Clinical Psychology program & am on the road to becoming an associate therapist!

However, I have a great need for financial support during my transition from school to employment. This is me reaching out to my community for that help & support. Thank you for being here. ❤️