Our Members
Kind, Accepting & Affirming
Our members are seeking a life with structure, not a period of controlled time away from it. They are ready to be challenged, identify and live out their values, and have committed to working towards becoming an autonomous adult.
OT supports sustainable independent living in a real-life, (not controlled) setting.
Our Members Are
Emerging adults between 18-29+ years old. Most members are between 19 and 24.
Managing mild to moderate anxiety, depression, and/or executive functioning challenges.
Are not substance abusers and if deemed appropriate are willing to work from a harm reduction model.
Have likely lived away from home, at a college, or in an apartment, but identified the need for more support.
Are compliant and stable on medication and mostly manage their regime independently.
Are both kind, accepting, and affirming.
Are willing and able to engage socially, long for friendship, and are open to coaching from our staff.
Are able to get out of bed and keep most of their appointments.
Can navigate public transportation or manage their own car.
Are willing to commit to a 12-month stay in Portland (which is a standard lease length).
Member Goals
In addition to their ongoing therapeutic work, our members also have independent life goals. To identify these goals members are asked to complete a questionnaire upon arrival. Questions cover topics such as base wellness, budgeting, employment, and education. From there, our team is available to support them in breaking down their goals into manageable and achievable steps.
To the right are some examples of goals that are common for our members.
Go back to school.
Many of our members have struggled with school in the past. Areas of difficulty usually include maintaining, organizing, and completing assignments by their deadlines. We support our members with strategies including studying, note-taking, chunking out assignments, and securing accommodations.
Get a job.
Getting a job is a common goal for most of our members. We help them identify, secure, and maintain employment and teach them about their workstyles, and necessary soft skills, and contribute to their living expenses, we help support them through the process of identifying, securing, and maintaining employment.
Become financially independent.
Along with securing employment, we help members learn how to budget and be more mindful when it comes to their finances.
Develop reciprocal relationships.
Many of our members desire social connection but for one reason or another, they aren’t able to sustain meaningful relationships. We work with them to help develop awareness, strategies, and goals around building reciprocal relationships.
Base Wellness.
This is usually our primary focus when our members arrive. Moving is stressful for anyone so it’s important to work with our members on sleep hygiene, grocery shopping, cooking, getting out and moving their bodies, and adhering to their prescribed medication plan.
A Day in the Life
It can be hard to imagine what a typical day might look like. While days vary and all depend on the goals of our members, here is a glimpse into life in Portland and at Onward Transitions.