Mental Health Spotlight: Thredd Centers Joy in Healing
When Thredd (they/them) moved to Portland, they didn’t just want a therapist; they wanted a therapist who understood who they were. That’s when a friend referred them to Quest Center in 2017.
“It was the first time I had healthcare that was explicitly Queer,” they said. “I had recently moved to Portland and was like, oh, wow. This is amazing.”
Through therapy, community groups, acupuncture, massage, and our Functional Fitness program, they’ve built a foundation of health that includes something often missing from traditional healthcare: joy.
“My experience has been that traditional healthcare does not seem to factor joy in whatsoever,” Thredd shared. “I think joy and healthcare are integral to each other.”
That belief has also inspired their creative venture, Pill Joy, a line of handmade, delightfully unconventional pill organizers that turn daily medication into an act of self-love. What began as a pandemic hobby has grown into a thriving small business with products in Tender Loving Empire stores across Portland and Seattle, and even a shop in Toronto.
“I was just looking for a fun pill organizer and couldn’t find one,” they laughed. “So I started making my own, gave some to friends, and suddenly I had 200 Etsy orders in two months.”
Through Pill Joy, Thredd helps others reclaim playfulness and pride in their wellness routines. At Quest, they’ve found a community that mirrors that same spirit of affirmation and celebration.
“For me and my identities, Quest is a community that just gets it. I haven’t had to do a lot of explaining about who I am. There’s so much compassion and shared experience here. It really feels like a community, not just a clinic.”
At a time when access to lifesaving healthcare for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals is in question, Quest seeks to remain a community sanctuary providing integrative behavioral and physical health services that center dignity, belonging, and joy.
“Something that Pill Joy and Quest have in common,” Thredd said, “is that we both want to give people that ‘I see you’ message, to celebrate their humanity and their radiant personalities. Quest does such a good job of seeing the individual and finding all the ways we can boost each other up.”
This Give!Guide season, you can help keep that spirit alive.
Your donation ensures that Portlanders like Thredd continue to receive affirming, whole-person care.
Donate $10 or more on Tuesday, 11/25/25, to Quest Center’s Give!Guide campaign, and you’ll be entered to win a Pill Joy Pill Organizer!
