Who I am
My name is Olivia Pennelle (aka Liv) and I’m the founder of Tera Collaborations. I identify as a Queer neurodivergent therapist associate who's also a writer and a community organizer.
My work revolves around the intersections between neurodivergence, expansive pathways of substance use and mental recovery, and LGBTQIA+ identities. Tera Collaborations is the home of my offerings, values, and updates.
To learn more about my experience, why I do this work, and what it’s like to work together, read on.“What if every aspect of our health care was rooted in a commitment to our healing, pleasure, and liberation? LGBTQ+ health care doesn’t look like this today, but it could. This is the care we dream of.”
— Zena Sharman
Why I do this work
Before completing my master’s in social work (MSW) in 2023, I was working as a full-time writer focusing on substance use disorder, mental health, and recovery.
Through my own lived experience and those I’ve worked with, I found that the traditional approach to any kind of mental health recovery is often stigmatizing, restrictive, and pathologizing. What I mean by that is that mental health — which includes substance use disorders and all their intersections — is seen as a deficit.
What I didn’t realize all those years ago is that social work values are inherent in who I am. I learned through my education and experience that social workers value:
Social justice
Dignity and worth of the person
The right to self-determination
Importance of human relationships
Integrity
Competence
The collective mindset therapeutically and societally is that the person has an illness; they are broken and need fixing. I don’t agree with that. I believe most of us have not had the support and resources we need to thrive. I felt this while growing up as a Queer, neurodivergent kid being made to live in a home and society that would prefer they were straight, white, and neurotypical.