Getting Started

This project begins by forming a carework cooperative. This initial cooperative will specialize in mental health, community organizing, interpersonal relationship skill building, and cooperative design.

If you are interested in working with Feminist Frameworks, we are currently seeking applications for clinical mental health interns and early-career therapists (LPCCs and LPCs). This is a unique opportunity to not only join a project at the ground level but also to become a worker-owner of this cooperative.

Group Therapy to Cooperative Pipeline

What if you could attend therapy and pursue your hobby at the same time? What if you could develop new skills while attending therapy? What if you could meet like-minded individuals while attending therapy? What if attending therapy made you more economically resilient?

These are the thoughts behind our ‘group therapy to cooperative pipeline’ concept. Cooperative ownership has been around for centuries and is commonplace in many parts of the world. While there are multiple models of cooperatives, the basic idea is to structure organizations so that all workers retain the value of their labor, thereby strengthening their agency and autonomy.

The project explores and documents the potential of targeted group programming to support not only individual well-being but also the development of critical consciousness, community resilience, and solidarity.

The model begins with small, facilitated groups that combine feminist therapeutic principles with cooperative practices. Each group focuses on a shared interest or activity that has the potential to evolve into a member-owned cooperative.

Examples of groups that could become cooperatives include:

• Sewing Support Group → Seamstress Cooperative: Initial focus on sewing, mending, and skill-sharing in a supportive environment. The group has the potential to become a tailoring/seamstress cooperative offering repairs, alterations, and educational workshops.

• Financial Therapy Group → Consignment Cooperative: This group begins with sessions on financial stress, money management, consumerism, and materialism. This group could evolve into a consignment cooperative that recirculates goods and value within the community.

• Music Support Group → DJ Cooperative: Starts with a support group focused on music and creativity. This group could evolve into a cooperative with shared equipment and training.

Group Focus, Solidarity Now

While most therapy practices primarily offer individual and couples counseling, FF focuses on group therapy. We understand and value the importance of connection. Not every therapy group will result in the formation of a cooperative, and no client will be required to pursue such a route. It is our hope, however, that groups will offer individuals the opportunity to know and accept themselves on a deeper level, to assess and improve their relationship skills, and to develop lifelong connections with others in their communities.

We are focusing on getting several groups off the ground, each with a potential cooperative focus. Visit the groups page for more information.