A small introduction

About Us

The Liberation Institute is a grassroots non-profit mental health organization based in San Francisco and Portland. We are co-created by counselors, psychotherapists, mindfulness teachers, artists and activists from the community we serve. The aim is to fill what we see as gaps in the availability of easily accessible professional support for issues related to mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

We strive daily to meet that mission with a fresh, open minded, compassionate, inclusive, and creative approach.

Our Programs

What we do

We provide professional counseling and psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, and groups. In addition we offer an array of innovative therapeutic programs and workshops, along with weekly integral services focused on stress reduction such as yoga and meditation classes.

Our doors are open to anyone and everyone. All are welcome, and all services are provided on a true sliding scale basis. While we do have fees and suggested donations for most of our services, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

How do we do it?

How

We are all in this together. Whether coming in for therapy, attending a meditation class, volunteering as a counselor, offering a grant or donation, leading a yoga workshop, or participating in any of our many programs, we are all contributing to make the world a better place.

Our inclusive model embraces the full range of diversity across California and Oregon. From technology executives to economically disadvantaged people. Those who can contribute the higher levels of our sliding scale help to cover the cost of services for those who have less. We receive all who come with equal compassion under our motto “liberation for all” and with the understanding that someone who can pay a little bit more is helping themselves by helping others.

The rest of our considerable operating expenses are covered by grants and donations from generous individuals and organizations who understand the true value of our work and wish to support our efforts.

How it all came to be…

Origins

Tired of watching managed care, health insurance, public health bureaucracy, and other institutional structures create obstacles for people in their paths to healing, growth, and freedom, Steven “Stever” Dallmann was inspired to create something new.

Founded “as an experiment to see if the people can do this for themselves, in community,” the Liberation Institute (“Libi”) opened it’s doors on October 7 2008. That first day, in one small office sparsely furnished with three old lawn chairs, Stever saw our first 2 clients. They were both homeless men that Stever “dragged in off the street.” That day one of those clients went into a detox center and is still clean and sober today!

From that auspicious beginning, we have grown, one step at a time, to what we are today: a vibrant diverse community of over 70 amazing volunteer professional healers serving an average of nearly 300 clients every week! In addition to our core therapy and counseling work, we are continuously creating ground breaking new programs, classes, and workshops.

As we have evolved and grown, our programs have blossomed beyond the walls of our vibrant community counseling center. Yoga, mediation, street therapy, music therapy, and our exciting Libi Mobile program are just a few examples of our innovative and transformative activities.

And this is just the start. There are no limits to what determined and compassionate people can do to help each other.

How do we do it? This work can be difficult and, at times, heartbreaking.

Some of us gain inspiration from the motto of our founder Stever:

“Love as much as you can, from where you are, with what you’ve got.”