2019-2022
Unity Collective was founded in Seattle, WA as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2019 by Laura Benton, LMFT and Judith Hong-Cho, LMHC. Their vision was to equip faith leaders and spiritual communities with mental health resources, and to train mental health providers in their ability to integrate faith and racial contexts into clinical practice.
During these years, Unity Collective developed a strong team of graduate student interns (many of whom became counselors at Unity Collective after graduating their programs). They also developed professional training programs and met with a leadership team of local therapists and researchers to further Unity Collective’s engagement with local community partners.
2022-2024
Between 2022-2024, Unity Collective further refined its vision and mission to be an organization that emphasizes intersectionality of spirituality, race and mental health.
In these years, we launched several free/low-cost community-based mental health workshops, with topics including: Addressing spiritual trauma, Premarital Preparation, Men & Emotions: Why emotions matter, Navigating Singleness, Grief Support for Pregnancy Loss, Coparenting Conflicts, Support for Working Moms, and A Group for New Parents.
In 2024, we also launched our subsidized sliding scale payment program to assist with the cost of therapy for individuals who are underprivileged or experiencing economic hardship.
2025 & Beyond
In 2025, Unity Collective in collaboration with its executive leadership and clinical staff made the decision to further develop our vision and mission and reintegrate the provision of counseling services as a nonprofit organization with Liz Chang, LMFT as the Executive Director.
Moving forward, Unity Collective is excited to further develop our programs and partnerships with local organizations in Seattle as we increase access to mental health and relational wellness services and events for our local communities.