MICHELLE SPROUFFSKE, LCSW
Owner/Clinician
Education:
Michelle earned a Masters in Social Work from University of Southern California, with an emphasis in Mental Health; a Bachelors degree in Sociology/Anthropology with an emphasis in Social Welfare from Eastern Oregon University. My degree in Sociology provides a framework of understanding how the systems in society can affect individuals in daily life. I pull a lot from these systems theory and validate the way these external systems create oppressive experiences.
A Little About My Approach:
I come from an Anti-Racist/abolitionist foundation and believe in calling out how systems of racism and oppression affect mental health. As a Queer disabled therapist, both invisible and visible disabilities, I am aware of the importance of a judgment free environment and the way that systems do not often provide this. I use various approaches when working, such as feminist theory, systems, acceptance and commitment therapy, solution-focused therapy, relaxation/guided imagery and others. Each session is unique to the person, and I am always in consideration of client's values in regard to cultural identity as well as the client's strengths.
About Me:
My pronouns are they/them. I have one adult child and raised her as a single parent beginning at age five, after their father passed suddenly. Desiree is an integral part of this therapy practice and the first person new clients come in contact with.
Along with being a parent, I am proudly Queer and Disabled. As a Zebra (hEDS-hypermobile- Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) my abilities fluctuate from day to day or even moment to moment. Some days my disabilities will be visible (whether through various braces, skin coloring or difficult finding the correct word from brain fog), other days they will be invisible. I provide this information upfront, not because it limits my ability to be present in the space with clients, but rather to raise awareness/model that disabilities are a spectrum. For this reason as well, I try to make sessions as accommodating for any body/experience as I can.
Though most of my life has been spent living on the land of the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde , The Chinook Tribe and The Kalapuya Tribe, a great portion of my life was living on Nez Perce land (eastern Oregon) where the town population was under 15,000. Living within a rural area for so many years, allowed for a deeper understanding of the cultural experiences within a small community.