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| Last updated on May 28, 2008 |
Exhale creates a social climate where each person's unique experience with abortion is supported, respected and free from stigma.
Exhale provides services, training and education to empower individuals, families and communities to achieve post-abortion health and well-being.
Description:
After-Abortion Talkline
Exhale offers a free, After-Abortion Talkline that provides emotional support, resources and information. The talkline is available to women and girls who have had abortions and to their partners, friends, allies and family members. All calls are completely confidential and counselors are non-judgmental.
The talkline is staffed by volunteer peer counselors who have successfully completed more than 50 hours of training. Counselors are trained in Exhale's Empowerment Model, which is a lens for understanding people's unique experiences with abortion. The Model is based on three key principles:
:: Each caller is a whole, complex person
:: Counselors respect each caller's belief system (social, cultural, political and religious)
:: Counselors work with callers to build or extend existing support networks
Women and men of all backgrounds call the Exhale talkline. Some people feel relief that the abortion is finally over and they just want to tell someone. Others feel a sense of loss and are looking for ways to work through their grief. Parents, friends and partners want to learn how they can best provide support. Women may call the day of their abortion, a month after or years later.
At Exhale, we believe there is no "right" way to feel after an abortion. We also know that feelings of happiness, sadness, empowerment, anxiety, grief, relief or guilt are common. Abortion can be hard to talk about and finding the right person to talk with can be even harder. Exhale provides the opportunity to talk with someone that supports and respects you, in a safe and confidential environment.
History:
Exhale was created by and for women who have abortions. The founders of Exhale -- Aspen Baker, Susan Criscione, Carolina De Robertis, Anna Goldstein and Laura Perez -- gathered together for the first time, on the floor of a Berkeley apartment, in June 2000. These five women came together because they, or someone they knew, had personally experienced the lack of non-judgmental services available for women and their significant others after an abortion.
They came to the meeting because they wanted to participate in creating a service that could meet women's after-abortion needs, provide an alternative to politically motivated counseling agencies and create awareness that abortion, and having feelings afterward, is normal in the reproductive lives of women and girls.
The founders came from a variety of cultural backgrounds, held a range of religious beliefs and were between 24 and 34 years old. Most, though not all, personally identified as pro-choice and the majority had had at least one abortion. Together, these women articulated the values and beliefs of Exhale, built the counseling model, and laid the foundation for the organization Exhale is today.
Contact person: Kristen Schultz Oliver, Lead Trainer, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (309) 410-1127
Address:
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484 Lake Park Ave. #63
Oakland, CA 94610
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.4exhale.org
Directions:
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Please call for directions.
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 19th Street Oakland BART,
Walk distance (in minutes): 3
Nearest Bus Stop: Many lines; 14th & Broadway, 3 minute walk |
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