Sasha Strong, PhD, LPC, CGP
QT NB Au (they/them)
Narrative
I got into this line of work due to my own struggles in my early 20s, when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Mindfulness practice was a major support for me at that time, and I continued with that practice and trained in Contemplative Psychotherapy, which integrates clinician mindfulness, Western psychotherapy, and Buddhist psychological perspectives. I went on to get a PhD in East-West Psychology; for my doctoral dissertation, I studied how people recover from bipolar disorder using Buddhist-informed mindfulness practice.
Parallel to my academic and clinical training, I grew in my personhood, as a queer genderfluid transfeminine non-binary person. Queer and trans perspectives are a core part of how I view the world and therapy, and these connect with critical, anti-capitalist, and emancipatory perspectives to give my worldview its political edge. I also trained in Hakomi mindfulness-based somatic therapy, which is one of the main therapeutic approaches I use.
More recently, I self-identified as autistic, and I have been doing some writing and community-building around that. When I reëxamine my past using a neuroaffirming and social justice lens, it is clear to me that the struggles of my early twenties that were diagnosed as ‘bipolar disorder’ are better understood as unsupported, unidentified autism; internalized homophobia and transphobia; and sensory overload and burnout. Although I do not regret the lessons of the past, I wish that accurate information on gender, sexuality, and neurodivergence had been able to me back then. Some things would have been easier that way.
Superpowers
- counseling, teaching
- analyzing, envisioning
- innovating
- emotional intuition, cognitive empathy
- putting things into words
Kryptonites
- noisy places, bright artificial lights
- people showing me their smartphone screens without my consent
- lactose, gluten
- forgetting to exercise
Formal Education
- PhD East-West Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2021
- MA Contemplative Psychotherapy, Naropa University, 2013
- BA French Studies, minor in Art/Graphic Design, UW-Parkside, 2003
Therapeutic Approaches
- Hakomi mindfulness-based somatic psychotherapy
- Contemplative psychotherapy
- Relational psychotherapy
- Neuroaffirming therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Radically Queer DBT
Theoretical Influences
- Buddhism
- Transpersonal psychology
- Radical psychiatry
- Queer theory
- Feminism
- Disability justice
- Neurodiversity paradigm
Hobbies/Special Interests
- Autism accommodation and acceptance
- Non-binary and trans-affirming therapy
- Group therapy
- Critical and transpersonal psychology
- French, Spanish
- Music (piano, voice, computer music)
- Bicycling