HEALING RETREATS FOR SURVIVORS Avi Haimowitz Program Director - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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HEALING RETREATS FOR SURVIVORS Avi Haimowitz Program Director - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Oct 03, 2023 300 likes •536 views

DESIGNING INNOVATIVE HEALING RETREATS FOR SURVIVORS Avi Haimowitz Program Director Agenda Using Nature to Heal Background & Herstory Key Elements Considerations Design Your Own Future Retreats Using Nature to Heal

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DESIGNING INNOVATIVE HEALING RETREATS FOR SURVIVORS

Avi Haimowitz Program Director

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Agenda

  • Using Nature to Heal
  • Background & Herstory
  • Key Elements
  • Considerations
  • Design Your Own
  • Future Retreats
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Using Nature to Heal

  • Use eustress, problem-solving challenges, natural environments, relationship

building  promote change (VanKanegan, 2016)

  • Outdoor programs
  • Develop skills/experiences increasing sense of mastery, connectedness, & emotional

regulation  increase resilience (VanKanegan, 2016)

  • Natural environments
  • Provide healing & therapeutic qualities (Taylor et al., 2010)
  • Sense of calm & peacefulness in nature (Asher et al., 1994)
  • Using outdoors as metaphor for life’s challenges helps participants find meaning
  • Finding meaning helps increase acceptance and moving forward (Prince-Embury, 2015)
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Background & Herstory

  • Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing community of survivors
  • Aspen Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
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Timeline

  • 2014: 1st Survivors’ Retreat at Aspen Camp (Labor Day

wkd)

  • 6 survivors, 18 KODAs
  • 2015: Attempted 2nd retreat, postponed
  • Numerous backed out last-min (school year)
  • 2016: 2nd Survivors’ Retreat at Aspen Camp (1st wkd

June)

  • 19 survivors, no children
  • 2017: 3rd Survivors’ Retreat at Jackson Lake Lodge in

Utah (last wkd August)

  • TBA – no children
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Key Elements

  • DV/SA agency staff develop vision & agenda
  • Invite return survivors to facilitate
  • Location & venue
  • Safety
  • Connection to nature
  • Food & lodging
  • Activities
  • Low ropes challenge course, team-building/discovery
  • Hope Hands
  • Hot springs
  • Advocate-facilitated discussions
  • Burn & release
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1st Retreat Comments

  • HIKING
  • “I love the hiking of feeling the nature, healing, put your feet in water or flowers to let go

the pain you feel and let it go then throw the flower in river”

  • LOW ROPES
  • “Love it how will build new friends trust, teamwork, and relationship grow stronger by

communication”

  • GENERAL
  • “Want separate from kids so can focus on ourselves/feelings”
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2nd Retreat Comments

  • “Wish it was not only for survivors who identify as women, felt I had to match that even

though I’m actually genderqueer. Felt I couldn’t show my masculine side.”

  • “I suggest 4 full days instead of 3 full days because there were too much – need to

spread it out little bit so we all can have chance to analysis our own issues with others without any pressure. Overall, I love this retreat!! ”

  • “More POC, survivors and advocates. More conversation about community

accountability, victim-blaming, and survivor-centric approaches?”

  • “Ever since I started to get back to routine, I find myself struggle with a lot of things. I

didn’t expect to come home with a lot of intense emotions…For the next retreat, we should discuss how returning to our realities could be difficult at first and how we can find support from within…”

  • “More outdoor activities! It was so so so so so so AWESOME! I’m leaving my heart here.

<3”

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Considerations

  • Target “audience”
  • Specific demographic or community?
  • Staff expertise & capacity
  • Support groups / large group activities
  • Partner with other agencies
  • Accessibility
  • Disabled survivors
  • Survivors who identify differently from staff or from most other attendees
  • How to “market”
  • Duration
  • Time of year
  • Children
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Budget Considerations

  • Venue
  • Activity fees / material costs
  • Food
  • Any CPR/First Aid/safety training necessary
  • Transportation
  • Survivor scholarships
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Design Your Own

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Future Retreats

  • Southeast Utah
  • Open to Deaf Anti Violence

Coalition agencies’ clients

  • Increased focus on addressing

trauma, dealing with its aftermath & how to go back home and continue using tools learned

  • No low ropes
  • Pond
  • All gender identities welcome
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References

  • Asher, S.J., Huffaker, G.Q., & McNally, M. (1994). Therapeutic Considerations of

wilderness experiences for incest and rape survivors. Women & Therapy, 15, 161- 174.

  • Prince-Embury, S. (2015) Assessing personal resiliency in school settings: The

resiliency scales for children and adolescents. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 25(1), 55-65.

  • Taylor, D.M., Segal, D., & Harper, N.J. (2010) The ecology of adventure therapy: An

integral systems approach to therapeutic change. Ecopsychology 2(2), 77-83.

  • VanKanegan, C. (2016). Trauma and Resilience in Outdoor Therapy. Retrieved

from: https://www.outdoored.com/articles/trauma-and-resilience-outdoor- therapy