STCS in the Community

Allison Receives an Award!

Allison and a few members of the STCS leadership team took a road trip to Los Angeles to the 2024 CAMFT Annual Conference, where Allison was given the Mary Riemersma Distinguished Clinical Member Award. The team was excited to share in this experience and celebrate Allison and the work she has done to support and grow the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. The award Allison received  is the highest honor awarded in CAMFT and is given to the therapist who has given outstanding service in the field of marriage and family therapy, and who is engaged in the advancement of this field. We are very proud of Allison and her leadership and excited to share some pictures from our adventure and celebrations!

STCS Summer Beach Clean Up!

STCS staff participated in our annual Beach Clean Up in Mission Beach! We collected several  pounds of left behind items and played “Beach Clean Up Bingo” as we tossed trash into the cans and cleaned up the shoreline!

STCS is the 2024 Neighborhood All Star

STCS was given the “2024 Neighborhood All Star” award by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce on July 10, 2024. A few members of the team accepted the award and celebrated with the other small business award winners in our community. STCS is proud to be honored with this title, reserved for “the small business that epitomizes community spirit, fostering connections and making a significant and positive impact within its neighborhood.” Thank you to our wonderful team and their commitment to our clients and our community. Without our staff, we could not do the meaningful things we do, and have such an amazing experience, together, as we change lives and build community. Each member of STCS brings something unique to us, and they also bring shared values and dedication to the growth and healing of others (and ourselves in the process). We are so very proud of STCS!

Annual Law and Ethics Training with David Jensen

Every year we welcome David Jensen, an expert attorney for therapists in the state of California. David offers unique and engaging trainings that support the STCS principles and he helps us learn and grow! To learn more about David Jensen and his commitment to mental health practitioners, please visit

Behind the Scenes Chamber of Commerce Interview!

Dr. Brownlee  participated in the Get Fit SD 2024 initiative through the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, you can see her interview here: YouTube In the interview Dr. Brownlee answers questions and talks about issues related to “Navigating Mental Health Challenges in Today’s World.”

Thanks to our DEIB director, Jennifer, for offering support and laughter during the preparation and recording!

Love Your Heart

As a Live Well San Diego Partner, STCS was able to be a host site for the county’s yearly “Love Your Heart”event. Our team volunteered at LYH and offered support to those who participated.

Love Your Heart is an annual event in which organizations from across the U.S. and Mexico join together to provide FREE blood pressure screenings to the public on or near Valentine’s Day. Annually, Love Your Heart helps tens of thousands of people get to know their blood pressure numbers and take charge of their own heart health.To learn more about Love Your Heart event and initiative, please visit: https://www.livewellsd.org/events/love-your-hear

Live Well San Diego Partnership

STCS recently became a Live Well Partner with the County of San Diego! This is an exciting honor for STCS and allows us to serve more of our community members and participate in events throughout the year that promote mental health and wellness.

To learn more about Live Well San Diego, please visit: https://www.livewellsd.org/home

To learn more about partnerships and find other helpful organizations please visit the Live well Partner Page: https://www.livewellsd.org/about/advanced-components/recognized-partner-list/-npage-28?flsepe=,&fltext=s

STCS Presents to County Public Health Nurses!

In March 2024, STCS had the opportunity to present to a group of San Diego County Public Health Nurses! We brought in our stress management skills, emotion regulation activities, and general ways to cope with the stresses of frontline medical work. We are honored to be about to support these heros in our community and to see and hear their experiences with compassion and care. We are passionate about this work, if you know an organization or company who could benefit from this type of presentation, please contact allison@strongertogethersd.org

Behind the Scenes Staff Picture Day!

The STCS crew always finds ways to have fun together. If you ask us what the best part about working at STCS is, usually the response is “we all genuinely like each other and are friends” and you can definitely see the bonds and connection in our pix!

STCS Team Building and Celebrations

The STCS crew knows how to have fun and create spaces where everyone belongs. We take several days a year to create and maintain a strong and safe culture at STCS. We find creative ways to work together, challenge ourselves, and build strong relationships. Celebrating one another’s accomplishments is one of our favorite activities at STCS!

DEIB Meetings

We prioritize Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at STCS by learning and growing together, on a regular basis. We provide training and education to staff at least once a month and we are able to share ideas and create change within and outside of STCS by making intentional time to collaborate and take action together. You’ll see some of our “DEIB in action” activities in our contract to provide support to Planned Parenthood staff, Women’s Empowerment Weekends, Trips to cultural centers and museums, and other community projects.

Planned Parenthood Partnership

The team at Stronger Together travels to Planned Parenthood Health Centers and administrative offices in the Pacific Southwest Region and offers trauma informed-social justice oriented support groups for staff members in all roles. The STCS crew is dedicated to supporting the important work that Planned Parenthood does in our community and across the US. We are honored to assist the organization as they face social and political challenges and continue to provide excellent care to people who need them the most.

Fun in the Office

The work we do at STCS is meaningful, fulfilling, inspiring and it can be challenging. Having a team of people to support you, make you laugh, and connect with you makes the tough days easier and the fun times even better. We work to create an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome and knows they matter!

Women’s Empowerment Weekends

STCS Values in Action! We are honored to support women+ on their journey to self -confidence as they identify the roots of anxiety, learn coping skills, and build community with others with similar stories. Each workshop is unique and filled with activities that that allow women+ to embody empowerment and lean into their strengths. Many of our groups center around creative practices, physical activities, and emotional processing work. If you have questions or would like to register for an upcoming event, please email Dr. Brownlee at Allison@Strongertogethersd.org. Scholarships and Payment Plans are available for everyone who attends.

Staff Shore Strolls

Connecting in nature is an essential part of the Stronger Together team culture. Each month we set aside time to stroll on a local beach or bay shore! These times are so special and allow us to appreciate the beauty of the water and relax together.

Paddle Boarding

The STCS team gets together often to connect and refresh our connection to each other and nature! We find that spending time together outside of work helps us to build strong relationships that help us get through challenging times!

She Fest 2022

We made some wonderful community connections and had a great time with our team!

She Fest celebrates and supports the talents and contributions of LGBTQ+ women while fostering meaningful connections within and between the LGBTQ+ and larger San Diego communities.

San Diego Pride 2022

We showed our support to our LGBTQ+ community and celebrated Pride together!

“Pride brings us together in times of protest, mourning, victory, and celebration. Pride helps connect us to community and our found family.” – Fernando Z. López, San Diego Pride Executive Director.

Birch Aquarium

The STCS team loves to explore! We also like to support programs doing good work for our community and environment. Did you know that Promoting, practicing, and educating about conservation arethe primary priorities of the Birch Aquarium’s mission?

Fundraising!

STCS loves to host fundraisers in the community and support local businesses! We also appreciate all of the love and kindness we receive when we are out and about talking about our work! We’ve been able to raise funds for our Domestic Violence Survivor’s Retreat, our suicide prevention efforts, and the LGBTQIA+ clients we serve, so we can offer low and no fee services to those receiving therapy at STCS.

Hiking

We really value the opportunity to come together and conquer challenges! One of our favorite team building events is the Cowles Mountain hike! It is so fun to take people up for the first time and high five them as they touch the statue at the top!

Animal Adventures

Our team loves to play with animals and bring them into our work! Always a good time when we can pet, hang out with, and love some furry friends!

STCS Staff Groups

We recognize the need to take care of ourselves and heal in our own community. STCS facilitates staff groups where we come together and grow through our shared struggles, it is very important that we practice doing the work we as our clients to! A bonus, we get to connect with one another and undo our own alone-ness as mental health providers!

Barona Cultural Center

We had the honor of visiting the Barona Cultural Center inOctober 2023. We walked away with invaluable knowledge and increased cultural awareness that greatly shifted our global perspectives. The Barona Cultural Center staff created a full day of experiential learning, including some amazing hands-on activities and a museum tour.

Dog Halloween Party

STCS hosted a dog Halloween costume contest in 2021 to raise funds for our work with low and no fee clients. And the winner was…. BUTTERFLY! Thanks to everyone who supported us and if you are interested in donating to STCS please visit us at:

Zoo Day!

In 2022 we held our annual leadership team outing at the San Diego Zoo! We enjoyed our time together, supporting conservation efforts and learning about animals!

Boo Bash

We put our values into action at the 2022 Boo Bash event. Our team supported the event hosted by TransFamily Support Services by participating in the Wall of Love (a barrier between youth entering the event and protestors) to ensure that children and their families were met with kind faces and joyous expressions of excitement! To learn more about TransFamily Support Services and the important services they provide to the community please visit https://transfamilysos.org

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