Paul "River" Fagan (they/them)

I hold a Master's Degree in Professional Mental Health Counseling from Lewis and Clark College. There, I learned how to incorporate my feminist values and passion for social justice with a strong foundation of research-informed counseling tools, principles, and practices. I supplemented my education through trainings at M.E.T.A. (Mindful and Experiential Therapeutic Approaches) where I also completed a one-year internship. At M.E.T.A., I learned the power that mindful awareness can have in deepening our understandings of our patterns and experiences and in unlocking new perspectives and possibilities. More specifically, I learned about the Hakomi method for studying somatic experiences. I have also completed a Certificate in Ecopsychology, which focused on the ways that ongoing ecological crises impact individual and community wellness and also the resilience and healing power found through attending to our relationships with the natural world.

I am a queer and non-binary person, a practitioner of earth-based spirituality, and an unabashed nerd. I am passionate about exploring the intersections between personal mental health struggles, systems of oppression, and movements for collective liberation. I deeply enjoy: learning about the histories of justice movements; reading utopian visions of the future, queer love stories, and comics; walking through the lush green spaces of Portland; playing board games; and Star Wars! I believe that in these intensely challenging times we are each called to expand into our deepest, wildest selves, to bring the gifts and truths that only we can bring, and to collaborate on transforming the world.