Hi there! I’m Jo Roberts (she/they), a licensed masters-level social worker. I received my MSW in 2013 from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, where I majored in Group Work and wrote a lot about prayer and costumes. I have facilitated a wide range of therapeutic groups and collective art experiments since then, in spaces such as the Rainbow Heights Club, the Red Hook Initiative, Clapping Hands Farm, the Renfrew Center, and my own home / backyard.
In 2022, I began facilitating virtual support groups through an online platform called Pace, which closed its doors in 2024. Pace members felt transformed by their experiences + bonds and wanted to keep working together indefinitely. To that end, I am continuing to hold the following groups on Zoom ~ each group a unique, treasured ecosystem ~
Practicing Presence, Tuesdays 6-7:15pm ET / 3-4:15pm PT
Humans Holding Humans, Sundays 7:30-8:45pm ET / 4:30-5:45pm PT
Witches and Weirdos, Sundays 6-7:15pm ET / 3-4:15pm PT
Brave Hearts, Mondays 8-9:20pm ET / 5-6:20pm PT
Warrior Women, Thursdays 7:30-9pm ET / 4:30-6pm PT
Practicing Presence
Tuesdays, 6-7:15pm ET / 3-4:15pm PT
Open to new members <3
<> We begin with a prompt and a grounding exercise to explore: where have we been feeling tuned in + connected, and where have we been in avoidance? What are we numbing, running from, or brushing under the rug? Through compassionate, mindful conversation, we move a little bit closer to ourselves and to life on life’s terms.
<> From members: “We keep coming back because of the people in the room. We seek to be un-opinionated about each other’s experiences — we hold great open-mindedness towards each other. We come into the Now, finding grounded approaches to current struggles without getting lost in the past or future. We get curious about what we’re paying attention to in our daily lives. We celebrate what feels good. We explore big ideas about life, values, and culture. We don’t just talk about what happened this week, we breathe into how it felt. We co-regulate and find relief from rumination.”
<> Monthly Membership fees on a 3-tiered sliding scale (thanks to Alexis J. Cunningfolk for this framing):
$100 per month — Supported Membership (limited spots available)
$140 per month — Standard Membership (represents the actual cost)
$180 per month — Pay it Forward Membership (allows me to offer the sliding scale and create greater access)
Occasionally I am able to offer a “We Got You Membership” at less than $100 per month ~ currently those spots are filled
Interested in joining Practicing Presence? Schedule a free 15-20 minute video consultation call with me to connect, ask questions, and see if it feels like a good fit <3
Humans Holding Humans
Sundays, 7:30-8:45pm ET / 4:30-5:45pm PT
Open to new members <3
*not a group for cis men
<> From members: “We are queers, genderqueers and femmes in our 20s and early 30s. We are a soft landing pad for queer and GNC folx, fat folx, neurodivergent folx, and folx who are living with mental and/or physical illness and disability. We are warm, authentic, supportive, and relaxed - our group is like a hug. We are allowed to Just Be: lie down if you need to, sit on your bed, prep food in your kitchen, knit on the call. We invite each other to tune into what we need in the moment. We move slowly and support our bodies and our nervous systems throughout group. We take long luxurious check-ins as we find our way to what matters. We dismantle stigma around ADHD, severe anxiety, depression, and fertility struggles. We talk openly about the harms of racialized capitalism, fatphobia, and ableism. We love our pets. We are intentionally working on ourselves; we are introspective and non-judgmental. We support each other with LIFE STUFF, work + school struggles, friendship + relationship issues, loneliness, family dynamics, boundaries, pregnancy journeys, mental + physical health, internalized homophobia. We check in about what’s actually going on in our day-to-day lives; ‘how is your humanness right now?’ We center empathy and validation, and we deeply value the friendships we have built here.”
<> Monthly Membership fee: $120 (occasional sliding scale spots available ~ please inquire if needed)
Interested in joining Humans Holding Humans? Schedule a free 15-20 minute video consultation call with me to connect, ask questions, and see if it feels like a good fit <3
Witches and Weirdos
Sundays, 6-7:15pm ET / 3-4:15pm PT
Open to new members <3
<> The original description: “Feel a little ‘out there’? Gain confidence in your powerful, fabulous, intuitive selves with people who will accept you exactly as you are.” This group has scaled universes, with a rotating constellation of members over the past couple years — we’ve talked psychic connection/boundaries, dungeons & dragons, interfaces with Thor, horses, plant medicine, lots of astrology, surviving capitalism + health care systems, and much more. Since our transition to Zoom, we have settled into a solid group of committed members who are currently taking a deep dive into the Major Arcana, one card per session. Members share intimately about their lives and listen for connections to / wisdom from the archetype of the week.
<> From members: “We are open to considering a lot of different explanations and interpretations of the human experience. We love how exploratory our group is; we take whatever we are exploring philosophically, spiritually, magically, and apply it to daily life. We look towards living with integrity and what’s getting in the way. We drop deeply into individual support, and there is fluid movement between individual support and full group conversation. We love the community that this group provides, the uniqueness of everyone here, how kind everyone is, and that many of us are neurodivergent. We feel at home — we feel that this is a safe space to share whatever is happening in our lives, to show up as we are, knowing we will never be judged. This is a place where we learn more about magic ~ inside us and in the world around us ~ and grow that magic. Many of us don’t have access to that kind of space where we live, so we co-create it here.”
<> Monthly Membership fees on a 3-tiered sliding scale (thanks to Alexis J. Cunningfolk for this framing):
$100 per month — Supported Membership (limited spots available)
$140 per month — Standard Membership (represents the actual cost)
$180 per month — Pay it Forward Membership (allows me to offer the sliding scale and create greater access)
Occasionally I am able to offer a “We Got You Membership” at less than $100 per month ~ currently those spots are filled
Interested in joining Witches and Weirdos? Schedule a free 15-20 minute video consultation call with me to connect, ask questions, and see if it feels like a good fit <3
Brave Hearts
Mondays, 8-9:20pm ET / 5-6:20pm PT
*currently full ~ write to feralqueenapothecary@gmail.com for more info + waitlist <3
Warrior Women
Thursdays, 7:30-9pm ET / 4:30-6pm PT
*currently full ~ write to feralqueenapothecary@gmail.com for more info + waitlist <3
Please note: while the above groups are often therapeutic, they are not group therapy and not a substitute for clinical care. They can be an incredible addition to therapy <3
Testimonials <>
Mutual aid groups have saved my life and continue to heal me daily. And my Virgo Sun, Pisces Rising, Gemini Moon self truly loves creating and holding intimate, spacious, playful and profound containers within which personal and collective power is unleashed. Here are some much appreciated words of affirmation from former participants and supervisors about my facilitation practice:
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I don’t know anyone who listens better to me, asking follow up questions that allow me to listen better to myself, and questions about the questions (“is this a question you’d be interested in right now”), subtle and finely tuned. - CP
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Your superpowers as a facilitator:
~ deep deep presence and intentionality
~ attentiveness and ease
~ graceful adaptation
~ wisdom, heart, curiosity, creativity, and humility
~ a deep sense of humanity — your own and others
~ love and whimsy - AO
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You are SO skillful with group facilitation, making everyone feel seen and heard and honored and included, maintaining the safety of the space. - anon
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Thank you Jo for being the open-eyed witness to all you see and for seeing all that you do. The aperture of your heart knows no bounds. Thank you for receiving the light in us all and thank you for sharing yours … I will be forever grateful to witness the way you alchemize the world and people around you and churn out the most burning questions that somehow speak so honestly and gently to the many parts of ourselves. It is so healing to be within the glow of such a profound healer and feeler with such a brave and open heart. - SM
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