Hello ORCA and COPACT members,
We at the Oregon Counseling Association (ORCA) and the Coalition of Professional Associations of Counselors and Therapists (COPACT), the legislative and advocacy arm of ORCA, are deeply saddened and concerned about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. No matter what each of our individual politics are, human and constitutional rights have been stripped from many persons living in the United States. The effects of overturning Roe v. Wade will disproportionately harm marginalized members of our communities who already face systemic issues in healthcare, housing, education, and more.
ORCA and COPACT stand with people who no longer have the right to make their own healthcare decisions for their bodies and lives. In our own ACA Code of Ethics, we value the autonomy of our clients and their ability to make informed decisions for their healthcare. Along with the ACA, we recognize there will be serious repercussions for members of our communities affected by this decision and their families in regards to education, employment, economic security, and physical and mental health.
While access to safe and legal abortions and reproductive care are still available in Oregon, that is not the case for our colleagues, friends, and family in other states. We seek to provide you with resources for yourselves, your clients, your students, and our community—please see below.
ORCA and COPACT are holding space for all of you. Our mission is to empower counselors and therapists, as well as those we advocate with and for every day. We will continue to do this important work, not just of improving access to quality mental healthcare, but also striving to support the basic human rights of our clients and community members.
Please take care of yourselves and each other,
Gianna Russo-Mitma, LMFT, COPACT President
Dr. Jeffrey Christensen, LPC, ORCA President
Dr. Kaj Kayij-Wint, LMFT, ORCA President Elect
Tever Nickerson, LPC, COPACT Treasurer & ORCA Past President
Greg Peterson, LPC, ORCA Pres Elect Elect
Oregon Resources:
Ethics consultation for clinicians:
https://or-counseling.org/Ethics-Consultation-Request
Forward Together: Rights, Recognition, and Resources For All Families supporting political action in Oregon:
https://forwardtogether.org
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-columbia-willamette
Oregon Abortion Access Fund
https://nwaafund.org/info/oregon
OHSU Center for Women’s Health
https://www.ohsu.edu/womens-health/abortion
National Supports:
Ethics support for clinicians:
https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/ethics
Planned Parenthood:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org
Resources for Teens:
Teen Source:
https://www.teensource.org/
Planned Parenthood - Info for Teens:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens
Center for Young Women’s Health:
https://youngwomenshealth.org/
Power to Decide:
https://powertodecide.org/teen-talk
