Virginia Mental Health & Community Resource Library

No one heals in a vacuum.

Many of the experiences that shape us are difficult to understand in isolation. Language often comes from encountering someone else's story. Perspective grows through history, community, and lived experience. Care is built not only through professional support, but also through the relationships, movements, and shared knowledge that help us make sense of ourselves and the world around us.

At Phoenix Rising Centers, we see therapy as one part of a broader ecosystem of care.

The organizations, educators, books, podcasts, crisis resources, mutual aid networks, and community initiatives gathered here have informed our clinical work while continually reminding us that healing has always been sustained by communities as much as by individuals. We hope this library offers not only information, but new ways of understanding, connecting, and finding support.

Explore by Topic

Black Mental Health
& Liberation

LGBTQ+, Trans & Gender Liberation

Disability Justice

Indigenous Healing
& Sovereignty

Abolitionist & Anti-Carceral Mental Health

Immigrant & Refugee Communities

Mutual Aid &
Community Care

Free to Read & Listen

Books We Recommend

Voices That Inspire Us

Black Mental Health & Liberation

Organizations and collectives centering Black healing, racial justice, collective care, and liberation through community-rooted approaches to mental health.

  • Virginia Black Leadership Organizing Collaborative (VA BLOC)

    A Black-led grassroots organization building collective power across Virginia through civic engagement, community organizing, racial justice, and leadership development while advancing healthier and more equitable communities.

    va-bloc.org

  • Health Brigade

    A Richmond-based community health organization providing culturally responsive healthcare, behavioral health services, HIV prevention, and wellness programs while working to reduce health disparities affecting Black and historically marginalized communities.

    healthbrigade.org

  • The National Center for Black Family Life

    Based in Richmond, Virginia, the National Center for Black Family Life strengthens Black families and communities through culturally responsive education, leadership development, fatherhood initiatives, and community-based programming that promotes long-term wellbeing.

    www.ncbfl.org

  • Nolef Turns Inc.

    A Richmond-based nonprofit supporting Black youth and families through mentoring, mental wellness programming, leadership development, violence prevention, and community empowerment initiatives.

    nolefturns.org

  • BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective)

    A national healing justice organization that trains community members, funds grassroots initiatives, and builds community-based systems of care rooted in Black wellbeing, collective healing, and liberation.

    beam.community

  • Mental Health Liberation

    A grassroots, LGBTQ+ BIPOC-led nonprofit grounded in Healing Justice principles that provides therapy funding, peer support, political education, and advocacy while centering Black, Indigenous, and Communities of the Global Majority.

    mentalhealthliberation.org

  • Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi)

    An organization dedicated to advancing Black psychology, promoting culturally grounded approaches to mental health, and supporting the wellbeing of people of African descent through research, education, and advocacy.

    abpsi.org

  • The Loveland Foundation

    Provides financial assistance for therapy, healing resources, and wellness initiatives, with a focus on expanding access to mental health care for Black women and girls.

    thelovelandfoundation.org

  • Kindred Wellness

    Founded by Shawna Murray-Browne, Kindred Wellness offers liberation-focused healing, community education, and training that integrates somatics, social justice, and collective wellbeing.

    kindredwellness.net

  • BlackLine

    A peer support and crisis line centering Black, Black LGBTQ+, Brown, Native, and Muslim communities. BlackLine prioritizes peer support, de-escalation, and community care over law enforcement involvement whenever possible.

    callblackline.com

  • Therapy That Liberates

    A directory of therapists and healing practitioners trained in Liberation-Focused Healing, centering the experiences of Black and Brown communities through decolonizing and community-rooted approaches to care.

    therapythatliberates.com

LGBTQ+, Trans & Gender Liberation

Organizations and collectives supporting transgender, nonbinary, queer, and gender-diverse communities through community care, mutual aid, transformative justice, and liberation.

  • Equality Virginia

    Virginia's largest statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, working to advance equality through policy advocacy, community education, leadership development, and partnerships that strengthen LGBTQ+ communities across the Commonwealth.

    equalityvirginia.org

  • He She Ze and We

    A Virginia-based nonprofit supporting transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse communities through peer support, education, advocacy, and community programming that promotes safety, belonging, and self-determination.

    heshezewe.org

  • Side by Side

    A Richmond-based organization empowering LGBTQ+ youth through affirming support groups, mental health resources, leadership development, and community education across Virginia.

    sidebysideva.org

  • Virginia Anti-Violence Project

    Supports LGBTQ+ survivors of violence through advocacy, education, crisis response, and community organizing while working to prevent violence against queer and trans communities throughout Virginia.

    virginiaavp.org

  • National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN)

    A healing justice organization connecting queer and trans people of color with affirming mental health resources, therapists, and community-based healing initiatives.

    nqttcn.com

  • The Okra Project

    A mutual aid organization supporting Black transgender people through food, wellness, gender-affirming care, and community-led healing.

    theokraproject.com

  • For the Gworls

    A Black trans-led mutual aid collective providing emergency financial assistance for housing, gender-affirming healthcare, transportation, and other essential needs.

    forthegworls.com

  • Black and Pink National

    An abolitionist organization supporting LGBTQIA2S+ people impacted by incarceration through advocacy, reentry support, community organizing, and leadership development.

    blackandpink.org

  • Trans Lifeline

    A peer support hotline and microgrant program run by and for transgender people, centering community care, autonomy, and mutual support.

    translifeline.org

  • Trans Justice Funding Project

    Provides direct funding to grassroots, trans-led organizations across the United States, helping communities build local power and support.

    transjusticefundingproject.org

  • Transgender Law Center

    The largest transgender-led civil rights organization in the United States, advancing trans liberation through legal advocacy, racial justice, movement building, and community self-determination.

    transgenderlawcenter.org

  • Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP)

    Works to ensure that all people can determine their gender identity and expression free from discrimination, with a particular focus on low-income transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming communities.

    srlp.org

Free to Read & Listen

These articles, guides, podcasts, and online resources are freely available and have shaped many of the conversations around trauma, liberation, disability justice, community care, and collective wellbeing.

Books We Recommend

These books have shaped how we think about trauma, relationships, identity, community, and liberation. Many are written by practitioners, researchers, organizers, and community leaders whose work continues to influence our practice.

Voices That Inspire Us

The way we understand care has been shaped by many voices.

Some are therapists and researchers. Others are organizers, educators, artists, writers, and community leaders. They come from different disciplines and lived experiences, yet they share a commitment to understanding how people heal, how communities care for one another, and how systems can either support or constrain our wellbeing.

While we don't necessarily agree with every perspective or recommendation they offer, their work has challenged us to ask better questions, think more critically, and remain accountable to the communities we serve. We hope you find something here that sparks curiosity, offers language for your own experiences, or invites you to see the world a little differently.

Trauma, Relationships & the Nervous System

Liberation, Community & Social Change

Disability Justice & Collective Care

Gender, Queerness & Trans Liberation

Indigenous Knowledge & Decolonial Futures

Trauma, Relationships & the Nervous System

  • Resmaa Menakem

  • Lisa Feldman Barrett

  • Bruce Perry

  • Allan Schore

  • Stephen Porges

  • Bessel van der Kolk

  • Sue Johnson

  • Dan Siegel

Liberation, Community & Social Change

  • Adrienne Maree Brown

  • Mariame Kaba

  • Prentis Hemphill

  • Bell Hooks

  • Angela Davis

  • Ruth Wilson Gilmore

  • Dean Spade

  • Jennifer Mullan

Disability Justice & Collective Care

  • Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

  • Mia Mingus

  • Patty Berne

  • Alice Wong

Gender, Queerness & Trans Liberation

  • Alok Vaid-Menon

  • Tourmaline

  • Raquel Willis

  • Dean Spade

Indigenous Knowledge & Decolonial Futures

  • Patty Krawec

  • Robin Wall Kimmerer

  • Nick Estes

  • Winona LaDuke

This library is always growing.

We know no single resource can meet everyone's needs. As our community grows, this library will continue to evolve alongside it.

If there's a resource, organization, or educator you believe should be included, we'd love to hear from you.

After all, no list like this can ever be complete. These are simply some of the people whose work continues to challenge, expand, and deepen our thinking. As we learn from new voices and communities, this collection will continue to grow.