For LGBTQ+ providers—whether you are a therapist, advocate, peer support specialist, or community organizer—the work of supporting others is often layered with your own experiences of navigating identity, visibility, and safety. The Third Space is a six-week series created specifically for you: a place to explore your wellness, resilience, healing, and authenticity in community with peers who understand the intersections of identity and care work.

The name reflects our intention. The first space is your personal life. The second space is your professional life. The Third Space is something different entirely: a dedicated space where you can bring your full self, without code-switching, without explaining, and without the weight of being the only one in the room.

Over six weeks, participants engage in facilitated conversations, reflective exercises, and community-building activities designed to explore:

• The intersections of LGBTQ+ identity and helping work

• Navigating systems that may not fully affirm your identity

• Building sustainable practices for self-care and collective care

• Healing from minority stress, microaggressions, and institutional harm

• Reconnecting with joy, authenticity, and community

This series is a space to exhale. It is offered at no cost and is open to LGBTQ+ providers of all identities, roles, and experience levels. You do not need to have all the answers—just a willingness to show up as you are.

If you spend your days caring for others—whether as a social worker, educator, healthcare provider, first responder, or community advocate—you know that carrying others’ stories comes with a weight of its own. Healing the Helper is a six-week series designed specifically for those experiencing vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and the unique toll that comes with supporting others through hardship.

This program is not about adding one more thing to your to-do list. It is about creating space for you. Over six weeks, participants gather in a small, confidential cohort to explore the roots of vicarious trauma, learn practical strategies for sustainable care, and reconnect with their own sense of purpose and well-being. Guided by facilitators who understand the helping professions from the inside, each session weaves together psychoeducation, reflective practice, and community support.

What you will find in Healing the Helper:

• A deeper understanding of vicarious trauma and how it shows up in your life and work

• Practical tools for boundary-setting, self-regulation, and sustainable care

• A supportive community of peers who truly understand your experience

• Guided reflection and facilitated discussion in a confidential, judgment-free space

• Strategies for reclaiming joy, purpose, and resilience in your helping role