Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Dixon.
Hi Morgan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have a BFA in Studio Art and for a while wrestled with finding something that fed that part of me while making enough to sustain myself. I had been a school-group docent at the Getty right out of college and loved the experience of sitting shoulder to shoulder with these groups of kids, looking at things, and experiencing them together. So eventually, after weighing options, I had this realization that therapists do something really similar but with people–they come alongside you and together you make observations about your life, relationships, and conception of yourself to understand things more deeply. I decided to go back to school part-time and feel it out. During that period, I also became a mom (which for me, meant relating to all of humanity differently all of the sudden). When I was about to graduate, Janie, the owner of my practice, while in grad school and made it my goal to work with her. Now, I work at Spaces Therapy in Highland Park and it’s a really special place to be. For me, being a therapist has felt like working with myself verses against, really, for the first time in my life. It’s also turned out to be rife with experiences that invite creativity and invention. People are endlessly interesting and I am so happy I get to know them this way!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think the most difficult part of this path is supporting yourself while you are going through the steps of getting it set up. Therapy is also a job with a lot of ebb and flow which means, it takes a minute for things to stabilize and then they are always subject to change. So you sacrifice some things to go through it and then you have to learn the business and the rhythm. And, as always, life is still happening. I went through some major changes personally in the first few years that were really intense and demanded a lot of flexibility. Showing up for a job like this while you are also kind of “going through it” is a weird thing. But I learned a lot about accepting my human limitations and needs alongside trying to resource myself enough to keep going.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Right now, part of my job that I really really love is a side project called Good Mother. My vision for Good Mother is for it to be a well of resource and connection for parents.
The main thing we do are two monthly meetups–one for moms, one for dads. The one for moms is on the third Friday of the month. There’s coffee and we go around one by one sharing highs and lows. I hold the space and offer some thoughts as people go along. I also participate and share a little of what’s happening in my life. The goal is to feel a little more connected to ourselves and a little more connected to other people.
There is SO much that is special about this particular time but it boils down to something pretty simple. It’s non-hierarchical and non-judgmental. It’s not a space for advice or learning. There are no demands or expectations of you if you come. It is just about witnessing each other.
Mothers hold a role that by its nature centralizes others. So part of what I try hard to do here is create a space that is really for the adult-person part but is also warm to, and understanding of, this piece of identity we call “mother.” In this spirit, I am really big on permissioning needs and helping people practice making space for themselves. This means, going to the bathroom when you need to, bringing your baby if that helps, getting more coffee when you want, coming late (or just when you can), leaving when it’s right, sharing or not sharing, and whatever else we need.
Lately, I have also been writing more and more which is something I really enjoy. It’s fun to try and say layered things in simple ways. This is all to say, I am on the Substack train and love it.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Life can feel so harsh and unforgiving. But I am consistently amazed by the power of relationships. Between parents and kids, there is this really beautiful and reciprocal thing happening all the time where they are sort of bouncing themselves off each other and being formed in the process. The development is ongoing and there’s always room for change. Other kinds of dynamics have the potential to do this for us too and I think I have learned to trust relationships to change me for the better.
Pricing:
- Meetup is $5 or free!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spacestherapyla.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodmother.la
- Other: https://www.good-mother.com & https://substack.com/@goodmother
