Asher Bruskin

(he/they)

LICSW

I start off each therapeutic relationship with honoring the importance of building rapport and emotional attunement, where I believe it is my job to earn the trust of those who are offering their vulnerability and choosing to work with me. My clinical perspectives are rooted in the concept of collective liberation and I draw from harm reduction principles, queer & feminist theory, and anti-racist frameworks as guides for my practice. I believe in the value of naming and understanding power dynamics and how experiences of our layered and intersecting identities relate to systemic oppression, which impacts our sense of self, our relationships to others and how we move through and experience the world. By engaging in this work together, my hope is that you will feel held and supported in a process of reflection, healing and growth.

I have experience working with clients across the age span, from teenagers to older adults, and across a spectrum of sexual and gender identities on a range of topics including identity development, relationship dynamics, polyamory and non-monogamy, kink and BDSM, trauma, substance use, HIV stigma, and managing impacts of coping in the context of oppression. I have particular interest in working with clients who are LGBQ+ and transgender who are seeking therapy around identity exploration, navigating relationships and family dynamics, and support in accessing any combination of social and medical gender affirmation.

My clinical style is fairly eclectic, drawing from narrative therapy, polyvagal theory, and other clinical approaches that are client-centered, strengths-based, and non-pathologizing.