Erica Woodland | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Brown University, University of Maryland |
| Occupation(s) | Social worker, Psychotherapist, healing justice practitioner |
| Organization(s) | National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network |
Erica Woodland is an American licensed clinical social worker, Black Queer Trans masculine facilitator, psychotherapist and healing justice practitioner. He is the founder and executive director of the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN), an organization dedicated to mental health and collective care for queer and trans communities of color. [1] [2]
Woodland co-authored Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care, and Safety with Cara Page in 2023. [3]
Woodland was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He trained as a clinical social worker and became involved in community organizing around racial justice, gender equity, and LGBTQ+ wellbeing. [4] According to his official website, he earns a Bachelor’s degree is in Human Biology and Psychology from Brown University and Master of Social Work (MSW)from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Social Work. [5]
Woodland founded the NQTTCN in 2016 to address systemic barriers to mental health resources for queer and trans people of color. [6] He has worked in community mental health, youth empowerment, and social justice organizations, emphasizing trauma-informed and culturally grounded therapeutic practices for marginalised communities. [7]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he highlighted the compounded barriers faced by queer and trans people of color, including ableism and transphobia, in accessing care. In an interview with CNN, Woodland stated, "Our goal is to really integrate a framework of healing justice into movements for social justice and also into the field of mental health. [2]
Woodland is the founder and executive director of NQTTCN." [2] , and his therapeutic work is grounded in a healing justice approach, aiming to address intergenerational and collective trauma within transgender communities. [8] [9]
Woodland’s leadership through NQTTCN has been recognized nationally for rooting healing justice in mental health fields and for creating a networked community of queer and trans therapists of color across the United States to provide holistic care. [10] According to Converge Magazine, “Under Woodland’s leadership, NQTTCN has trained and mobilised hundreds of mental health practitioners committed to intervening on the legacy of harm and violence of the medical industrial complex while building liberatory models of care rooted in abolition. [11] [12]
Wellness advice for queer and trans individuals in celebration of National Coming Out Day.
Erica Woodland discusses the compounded mental health challenges faced by queer and trans people of color during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes the need for culturally competent and accessible mental health resources.
Woodland discusses how their work focuses on political and spiritual liberation, grounded in Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Queer and Trans healing justice lineages, emphasizing collective care and addressing generational trauma.
Licensed clinical social worker and co-editor of *Healing Justice Lineages*.