When Healing Comes Home: A Mental Health Solution for Rural Oregon
In Lincoln County, finding a therapist has been like searching for a needle in a haystack. Amber Rose Therapy is here to make mental health services accessible to their community.
"I don't know where to find a therapist. Nobody returns my call," is a refrain Amber Rose heard over and over.
Their story begins with a car accident in 2002 that changed everything. What seemed like a minor incident led to post-traumatic fibromyalgia, forcing them to leave their work as a massage therapist and financial planner. Instead of seeing this as an end, Amber Rose saw it as a beginning.
They went back to school later in life, earning a master's in social work. They wrote a book, "From Ow to Wow, Five Steps to Thriving with Pain." And now, they’re launching a mental health practice that is desperately needed in their rural community.
Why This Matters
Lincoln County is what mental health professionals call a "mental health desert." Therapists come and go. People in need are left without support. Often, long wait lists and limited insurance acceptance mean people have nowhere to turn.
Amber Rose's approach is different. They’re creating an accessible practice that:
Takes insurance, including Oregon Health Plan
Serves LGBTQ communities
Provides a safe space for healing
Offers flexible, goal-oriented therapy
Their new office at Fire Rock Ocean Sky, a healing arts center, is being carefully designed as you read this. With art on the walls and a community-focused approach, their reimagining what mental health support can look like in a small rural community.
Building the Practice
Amber Rose didn't do this alone. They are a graduate of our Co-Starters program and used a Kiva loan to fund their startup costs. With their grant, they bought a new computer for HIPAA compliance, hired a biller, and created a calming, welcoming office space.
Their goal isn't to keep clients in therapy forever. It's to help them reach their goals – no matter the timeline.
The Kiva Oregon Connection
Kiva Oregon offers interest-free loans up to $15,000 to qualified business owners. Kiva is an international nonprofit crowdfunding platform that believes in character over credit and the power of community-based lending. Through crowdfunding, they can provide funding opportunities for entrepreneurs where conventional lenders won't. Kiva offers 0% interest, no fee, no collateral loans.
Kiva Oregon is a partnership between Kiva and Foundry Collective. Foundry Collective operates Kiva Oregon, a local Hub focused on rural Oregon communities. Business Oregon, Umpqua Bank, the Ford Family Foundation, and Rural LISC support the hub. Entrepreneurs submit applications directly to Kiva Oregon's Capital Access Manager, who provides guidance throughout the process and ensures they receive the support they need to grow their small businesses successfully.
The process involves several key steps: pre-application assistance, application review, network invitation, public fundraising on Kiva.org with support from 2 million lenders and strategic partners, and loan repayment, which continues the lending cycle.
The Bigger Picture
Amber Rose’s story speaks to a lack of sustainable mental health resources in rural communities, which are often been overlooked. Amber Rose is here to provide an accessible solution, and we are so proud to help them prove that rural communities can develop their own solutions with the right resources.
Amber Rose is creating something powerful: hope, right where people live.
Learn more about Amber Rose Therapy
Watch our full interview
Listen to our Full Interview
Learn more about Reinventing Rural’s KIVA Loan Partnership