Josh Bolle
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
What made you want to come to Lewis & Clark?
In meeting with the various faculty and getting to know people in the interview process, it felt like I had found a community of current and future marriage and family therapists being unafraid to lean into critical conversations to help grow the field. I also appreciated being able to learn about socio-emotional relational therapy (SERT) and how to provide socioculturally attuned therapy. As a fan of nature and coffee, I also appreciated the greenery on Lewis & Clark’s campus and finding various cafes in Portland when trying to write papers.
What have you been doing since graduation?
I have been working toward getting my PhD in medical family therapy and have gained experiences in various integrated care settings (i.e., school settings, providing LGBTQ+ affirming care across the lifespan), and I am now at St. John’s Family Medicine Residency.
How did Lewis & Clark prepare you for your career? How does your social justice education apply to your work?
I utilize sociocultural attunement in my clinical practice and in conversations with medical residents and providers in thinking about integrated care and social determinants of health that impact patient outcomes.
What would you say is the most important thing you learned at Lewis & Clark?
The most important thing I learned at Lewis & Clark is the importance of community care, both for the people that we work with and ourselves as marriage and family therapists. In my experience, conversations focusing on therapist burnout and compassion fatigue explore self-care, which is important. However, keeping a systemic viewpoint allows me to recognize how various systems impact the well-being of our clients and ourselves in the roles that we have.
