Today we’d like to introduce you to Malia.
Hi Malia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Official bio here: https://encircletogether.org/therapists
I’m an LCSW, MSW, MFA. My journey to this role started after years as a therapist in private practice, where I worked intimately with young LGBTQ+ people. In that space, I saw firsthand both the immense resilience of these young people and the massive gaps in the systemic support available to them. There was a profound, urgent need for a more comprehensive, accessible ecosystem of care. That is what brought me to Encircle. I wanted to move from individual therapy to a broader space where I could help elevate a mission I deeply believe in: “No sides, only love.”
My current focus is on how we could better serve young people through launching our Full Circle Model, which bridges our drop-in community connection with clinical mental health services.. We want to help young people cultivate their own internal locus of control, empowering them to discover their own strength and sense of agency. But to truly support a young person, we have to support the environment they return home to every day. Encircle was originally built by parents, and we are returning to those roots by creating deliberate, welcoming spaces for not just young folks but their parents, caretakers, and anyone in the family, really.
Ultimately, every operational shift, every new curriculum, and every program we build comes back to a single goal: creating a world where young people feel safe, connected, and deeply loved. From my days in private practice to my work here today, it has always been, and will always be, about the young people.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of our primary struggles has been figuring out how to expand our reach to young people who don’t live near one of our physical homes. The drop-in model is incredibly powerful, but we had to ask ourselves: how do we duplicate that sense of magic, safety, and therapeutic connection for a young person interacting with us remotely? Having lived for 22 years in Montana, I am deeply attuned to what it means to be isolated in a small town, and we are still grappling with how we can provide care and support to young people from a distance. It is something that I think about daily.
Of course, the landscape and regulations around healthcare are always shifting, but we just roll with those changes as they come. Our focus doesn’t waver; we are simply here to make sure every young person and family member who walks through our doors feels safe, respected, and supported, no matter what is changing on the outside.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Encircle?
At our core, Encircle specializes in connection for LGBTQ+ youth, young adults, and their families. We are best known for our beautiful, physical home-like environments that serve as drop-in spaces for young people after school. It is a place where young people can grab a snack, sit by the fireplace, or join a friendship circle—but mostly, it’s a place of safety and connection where they can just exist exactly as they are.
What sets us apart is that we don’t just focus on the youth in isolation. We offer community programs designed for the whole family. Encircle was originally built by parents, and we are returning to those roots by creating deliberate, warm spaces for parents, grandparents, caretakers, and community members. In the near future, we are launching new parent programming to give families the tools they need to stay deeply connected to their kids. We are also building stronger relationships with community referral partners so they know they can trust us to support the young people they send our way.
I am proudest of how we live our motto every day: “No sides, only love.” We want readers to know that Encircle is a place of belonging for everyone, and that when you lead with love, you can bring entire families and communities together to protect and celebrate our LGBTQ+ young people.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I grew up in a few different parts of the country, but Utah was always a significant piece of my story. Before I moved here permanently, we would come out to visit family, and I have such a vivid memory of the 49th Street Galleria. My Uncle John would take me when my Mom and Aunt wanted to shop at ZCMI. I remember being completely mesmerized by driving the little cars around the ceiling ledge of the Galleria—at the time, it felt like the most dangerous thing in the world.
Later on, I ended up living close and attending often as a teenager when it was rebranded as the Fun Dome. Needless to say, that era involved a lot more teenage shenanigans, but I still hold some incredibly fond memories of that place and the chapters of my life it connected.
Pricing:
- Daily Drop-In & Community Programs: Completely free.
- Professional Therapy Sessions: Subject to standard regular rates and can be billed to insurance.
- Therapy Scholarships: Available according to need and availability for those who may not have insurance or the financial means to cover regular rates.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://encircletogether.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/encircletogether
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encircletogether
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/encircletogether
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@encircletogether
- Other: http://tiktok.com/@encircletogether
