I recently broke something that belonged to a friend. This item wasn’t irreplaceable but it wasn’t super cheap either. More than the cost, not having this item was pretty inconvenient. It was a really silly accident but I felt horrible about it. For all the talking and dreaming and aspirational thinking I do about abolition, the cop in my head emerged quickly and powerfully.

Validating Feelings, Not Entitlement: An Abolitionist Lens

I often tell clients, friends and people who ask about my job that a huge part of what I do during sessions is validating feelings. Folks justifiably want to feel like what they are experiencing and feeling makes sense and it is okay to have their emotional response. Most of the time this is true and I am happy to remind people that the way they are feeling makes sense. Recently, I’ve been feeling like sometimes we believe we are entitled to certain outcomes or actions based on our emotions. What does this mean in the context of harm, repair, and abolition?

Therapist ThoughtsTanvi YennaSeptember 8, 2025abolition, therapy, feelings, relationships, harm, violence, survivors, justice, emotions, validation

Transformative Justice for All: Abolition and Survivorhood

Working with survivors of sexual assault for the past 10 years has offered me the chance to learn from a wide breadth of stories and experiences. I am grateful to every person who has allowed me to witness and be with their pain for even the briefest moment. Everyone’s story is unique, but I have been reflecting on the common desire among many survivors to incarcerate people who hurt them.

A Therapist's Journal