Home > Weekends of Recovery > 2007 Weekends of Recovery: Peebles
October 19-21, 2007 MaleSurvivor Level I Weekend of Recovery Hope Springs Institute, Peebles, Ohio
MaleSurvivor Weekends of Recovery are open to any man, 18 or older, who has been sexually victimized as child and/or as an adult. Hope Springs Institute is the location of our October Level I Weekend of Recovery. Hope Springs is located in the solitude of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the small rural southwestern Ohio town of Peebles. Hope Springs offers a combination of colorful, very comfortable housing and 130 rolling acres of ridges, ravines, wooded acres and meadows, including two ponds, walking trails, wildflowers, wildlife, a campfire circle and a labyrinth. Hope Springs offers groups a chance for discovery and practice, for privacy and company, for safety and challenges. The Institute’s priorities are to offer you personal comfort and a challenge to grow utilizing the Land, your Body and your Spirit as primary teachers and caretakers. While at Hope Springs, you will take part in delicious, healthy food, warm, inviting accommodations and exquisite grounds. The vision of the Hope Springs Institute fits perfectly with the mission of MaleSurvivor: “The Center was established to ignite spirit and bring balance to lives. Our vision is of a world family in which people cherish each person’s uniqueness. We encourage dialogues across differences, creative resolution of conflict and nurturing of mind, body and spirit. Hope Spring honors nad welcomes people of all faiths, cultures, races, ages, sexual orientations and abilities.” You can visit their website at www.hopespringsinstitute.com
A variety of accommodations will be available, and we’ll have space for 28 men for this weekend.
Goals of the Level I Weekend of Recovery:
- To provide an opportunity to experience a safe environment in which participants can discover they are no longer alone
- To provide an opportunity to co-create and experience safety with other survivors as they explore further aspects of their healing journey
- To provide an opportunity where survivors can share their inner pain, strength and hope with others who have been abused
- To provide an opportunity for survivors to give a voice to their experiences as a survivor
- To provide a safe way for participants to share the story of their abuse with others who will understand and offer support
- To provide a safe place for participants to experiment with letting go, opening up and being vulnerable, and practice asking for the support they need
- To provide an opportunity for participants to explore safe ways of going beyond their comfort zones, and to find ways to get beyond their blocks to move beyond their abuse to experience a greater sense of freedom in their minds, bodies, and spirits
- To provide a safe place where participants can experience a sense of community, brotherhood and joy
Facilitator Team
Weekends of Recovery are facilitated by trained psychotherapists, utilizing the same clinical boundaries and code of ethics as adopted by the American Psychological Association. The weekends are adjuncts to participants’ ongoing recovery work with individual and/or group psychotherapy, twelve step programs, and individual spiritual work, and are not meant to substitute for the participants’ local support systems that are consistent with their own recovery. Dr. Howard Fradkin, a Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working with male survivors, chairs the facilitator team. The team of facilitators includes other Psychologists, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Mental Health Counselors. Biographies of all staff members for this weekend can be found at the Facilitators page. The rest of the team includes: Dale English, Jim Struve, Joanna Colrain, Mikele Rauch, Ernesto Mujica, Sandi Forti, and Don Laufersweiler.
IS THIS FOR ME? HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR THE WEEKEND?
For those working with professionals, we recommend you discuss your planned participation in this weekend to get their feedback and suggestions for how you can benefit as much as possible from the experience while keeping yourself as safe as you need to be. When we receive your completed registration form, we will also send you a form for your therapist to complete and return to us. You can also download the form on our website as well. If you have an already established support system of friends/family members/significant others, we also encourage you to talk with them about your participation so they can be available both before and after the retreat as needed to help you prepare and process your experiences.
If you are not in therapy, and/or do not yet have a support network, we encourage you to consider setting up an appointment with a therapist either before you come to the retreat, or after your return, and/or encourage you to explore what types of self-help groups and resources are available in your community or near by. This way you can follow up on some of the experiences and skills you learn that will help the weekend's learning stay fresh in your mind and help you apply what skills and awareness would most help your continuing recovery.
One of our staff members will be contacting you by phone when we receive your application to talk with you about your needs for the weekend and your readiness to participate. If we have any concerns about you participating, we may suggest some steps you can take to enhance your readiness for this weekend or we may ask you to wait for a future weekend while you take some additional steps we believe would be important for you to benefit from the experience.
You can read comments from other participants on our web page. Many participants have told us that the weekend is a very intense and rewarding experience, and at the same time sometimes it is quite uncomfortable. We recognize that one of the challenges male survivors have is feeling comfortable enough to ask for help, especially when they are feeling most in need of the help. For participants who are aware they have a problem with dissociation, this can be an especially difficult challenge. We would encourage you to practice asking for help before the retreat, perhaps with your own therapist, as well as with friends and significant others, and to assess for yourself what gets in your way of asking for the help you need so you can let us know when we contact you prior to the retreat. The facilitators are all very skilled therapists, and often times we can be sensitive and intuitive enough to know you need help even when you are not asking. However, we will clearly need your help and ask you to take the risk to articulate your needs during the weekend. To the extent you can help us know you are needing some extra help at any time during the weekend, this will help you to have an even safer and hopefully more beneficial experience.
During the weekend, we'll invite you to participate in a number of different types of activities. We'll spend some time helping each of you to feel as safe as possible. We'll take our time getting to know each other by sharing a little at a time. Frequently during the weekend we will meet in small groups, where you can have more individual time to talk and share your feelings and observations.
Everyone will be given some opportunities to choose how to tell your story - through words, through art, through movement, and/or through music. We'll also introduce you to some different types of relaxation and visualization exercises you may choose to do at home to increase your abilities to cope and manage life stresses. We'll also give you time to wander the beautiful grounds alone or with some of your fellow participants.
Survivors with perpetration history:
Any person who has been adjudicated (found guilty) of sexual perpetration would not be eligible for participation in the weekends. Any person who has been adjudicated (found guilty) of sexual perpetration would not be eligible for participation in the weekends.
Registration Costs
Registration includes the costs of the facilitated Weekend of Recovery program, with our 8 skilled facilitators from the MaleSurvivor Weekend of Recovery Facilitator Team, plus lodging, 7 meals, and snacks. Bottled water, juices, tea and coffee will be available throughout the weekend. We have a variety of accommodations in the lodge and cabins. If you are not a MaleSurvivor member, we encourage you to join the organization prior to registration both to secure a significant discount and to help support the work of MaleSurvivor. Limited numbers of each type of accommodation are available, and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. You may request a single room, but these will only be offered at the end of registration if we do not fill the weekend. You can also save $40 more by registering early!
All prices quoted below are for Early Registration (by July 31st)
| Category | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A | Studio Triple w/Private Bath-MaleSurvivor Member | $460 |
| A | Studio Triple w/Private Bath-Non-Member | $500 |
| B | Farmhouse Double with shared bath - MaleSurvivor Member | $445 |
| B | Farmhouse Double with shared bath - Non-Member | $485 |
| C | Double with private bath - Cottage - MaleSurvivor Member | $460 |
| C | Double with private bath - Cottage - Non-Member | $500 |
| D | Single Room, shared bath (may NOT be available), MaleSurvivor Member | $490 |
| D | Single Room, shared bath (may NOT be available), Non-Member | $530 |
Registration after July 31st: Add $40.
To register for the weekend, we ask that you complete an online registration. To hold your spot for the weekend, we are requesting at least $150 deposit with your registration. You will have the choice on the registration form to either prepay your registration in full at the time of registration or opt for a payment plan. If you want to take advantage of the early registration discount, your total registration must be paid by July 31st. You will then receive a form to indicate how you plan to make 2 additional payments on July 31st and August 17th and still receive the early registration discount. You may also forgo the early registration discount, and make payments between the time you register and one month prior to the weekend, when all payments are due (Sept 17th). By choosing the 2 payment option, you will owe an additional $40 for regular registration, and we will bill your credit card for ½ of the balance of the total of the registration due based on your accepted accommodation type on July 17, 2007 and the second half on September 17, 2007. You may also mail in checks to be received on these dates. Holding your registration will be contingent on receipt of your additional registration fees on these dates. Any registration which is not paid in full by September 17, 2007 is subject to cancellation and a $50 cancellation fee. Any cancellation after September 17th will be subject to the loss of all monies paid, unless we can find a replacement for your space in the weekend.
Registration will remain open until October 14th, provided there is space available.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Dependent on MaleSurvivor’s scholarship fund balance, a limited number of partial scholarships will be available for this weekend. If you have a need for a scholarship, please click here and complete the form, which MaleSurvivor will email to Howard Fradkin, weekend Chairperson. Once your scholarship request has been granted, Howard will email you back with authorization to register. We encourage those requesting scholarships to apply for partial scholarships and to commit to paying some portion of the registration yourself (or ask others to assist you in your support system). This enables MaleSurvivor to make more scholarships available to more participants. We can only provide assistance with registration costs, and cannot at this time provide any assistance with transportation costs. If you are in a position to assist with our scholarship fund, you can contribute through the MaleSurvivor website or on the registration form. Thanks for any help you can provide.
DINING:
The meals at Hope Springs are delicious, vegetarian cuisine. Previous participants used to other diets have found the food at Hope Springs to be a refreshing change in their eating habits and have been surprised at the quality of the food choices! Other special dietary restrictions or needs must be indicated on your registration form. Bottled water, juices, coffee and tea, half and half and soy milk will be supplied all weekend long for you.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT HOPE SPRINGS: Hope Springs has a no shoes policy in all buildings, so bring shoes that are easy to slip on and off. You’re welcome to bring indoor slippers or shoes. Slipper socks and indoor slippers can be found in each bedroom.
No alcohol or un-prescribed drugs may be brought to the weekend.There is also a no smoking policy in the buildings. Cell phones do not work here. There are two phone lines you can use and there are 60 minute phone cards for sale for $2.The walking trail goes through the woods, so bring socks, long pants, long sleeve shirts, bug protection and shoes that support you on rough terrain and are waterproof. Flashlights are provided. All bedding, towels, hair dryers, shampoo and shower gel are provided. Robes are also provided for each participant. The facility is wheelchair accessible, and walkways and ramps allow easy access. If you need a scooter to get around, let us know.
GETTING TO HOPE SPRINGS
MaleSurvivor will coordinate transportation to the center once you provide us information. Once you register, we will send you a form to fill out, and then we will do our best to provide free transportation to the center. There are also several drivers who work with Hope Springs to provide transportation. We anticipate a number of Ohio participants will be attending, and some we anticipate will be willing to share transportation from local airports. Cincinnati airport (which is actually in Kentucky) is about 75 miles away; Columbus airport is about 100 miles away, but you may find cheaper fares here (travel time is roughly 2 ¼ hours). If we cannot find you a free ride, it would be best for us to coordinate rides, as we likely can save you significant travel costs (1-3 persons from Columbus is $75 each way, or $25 each for 3); Cincinnati will cost roughly $60 for 1-3 passengers ($20 per person if 3 people are transported).Driving directions are available on the Hope Springs website, and will be sent to you on request (we’ll send you a transportation form once you register).
WHEN TO ARRIVE AND DEPART-MAKING PLANE RESERVATIONS
The weekend begins at 12 noon on Friday, and ends Sunday at 3 pm. Please pay particular attention to the arrival policy below before making your travel plans. Given travel time, we recommend all participants plan to arrive on Friday no later than 9:30 am depending on the airport ; and plan to depart on Sunday no earlier than 6 pm from Cincinnati and 6:30 pm from Columbus. If you cannot accommodate your schedule to arrive and depart at these times, please be considerate and do not register. Late arrivals would miss important orientation information, and we ask that all participants plan to stay until the end of the weekend on Sunday to allow you sufficient time for closure. If you find that the only airline reservations you can find will require an overnight stay on either Thursday or Sunday, we are sorry, but we cannot provide overnight accommodations on Thursday or Sunday evening at Hope Springs. If you need information about accommodations near either airport, please indicate this on your transportation form.
Arrival Policy
The weekend begins at 12 noon on Friday, and ends Sunday at 3 pm. Please pay particular attention to the arrival policy below before making your travel plans. Given travel time, we recommend all participants plan to arrive on Friday no later than 9:30 am depending on the airport ; and plan to depart on Sunday no earlier than 6 pm from Cincinnati and 6:30 pm from Columbus. If you cannot accommodate your schedule to arrive and depart at these times, please be considerate and do not register. Late arrivals would miss important orientation information, and we ask that all participants plan to stay until the end of the weekend on Sunday to allow you sufficient time for closure. If you find that the only airline reservations you can find will require an overnight stay on either Thursday or Sunday, we are sorry, but we cannot provide overnight accommodations on Thursday or Sunday evening at Hope Springs. If you need information about accommodations near either airport, please indicate this on your transportation form.
Therapist Recommendation Letter:
When you register online, you will notice a link to a therapist recommendation letter (click here). If you register by mail, we will mail you the letter. We ask that all participants who are currently in therapy bring this letter to your therapist prior to the weekend, and ask them to complete it with you and send it back to us by October 17th. The information in this letter will help us to provide for any additional needs you may have for safety. It is our intention to use this letter to help ensure your safety, and in no way is it intended to disempower you or cast doubt on your own judgment about your readiness to participate in the weekend.
ANY QUESTIONS:
Questions can be directed to Howard Fradkin at 800-285-9397, ext. 11,
or emailed to hfradkin@malesurvivor.org
; or to Trisha Massa, MaleSurvivor Administrative Assistant, at
800-738-4181, or emailed to admin@malesurvivor.org
TO BEGIN THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, CLICK HERE
