Community-building and self-care for parents of children battling cancer
Overview:
This retreat was developed for an organization, Friends of Jaclyn, that supports parents of children coping with brain cancer. The agenda focused on attending to their own mind-body-spirit needs, implementing self-care practices, and healing through a community bound by shared experience. Faced with the two-fold challenge of caring for the ill child while supporting the family through the stressful journey, these parents often feel isolated and depleted. Participants emerged from the retreat regenerated and uplifted by the power of community after a weekend of talking circles, yoga, meditation, deep tissue massage, nature hikes, expressive art projects and supportive sharing and bonding
What participants leave with:
A supportive community network and tangible techniques for self-care
“The Uplands provided a uniquely supportive space for the kind of difficult conversations you can’t have with individuals who are foreign to this painful struggle. The retreat guests were amazingly forthcoming – we all felt really comfortable sharing the most intimate painful aspects of this journey, including its impact on our marriages and our other children. We also came away with new coping strategies for navigating this challenging journey as well as self-care practices to preserve ourselves in the process.”
Retreat Participant
Retreat Theme:
Trauma and healing as applied to the work and life of educators
Overview:
Public school educators (including classroom teachers, social workers and administrators), often learn about trauma-informed practices and social and emotional learning (SEL) to better serve their students and communities. This retreat explored these same concepts, but as applied to the educators themselves, who too often are subjected to direct or vicarious trauma in the course of their own work life. In a community with other educators, retreat attendees learned about the underlying science of trauma as well as personal healing practices that are rooted in science, research, and embodied techniques.
What participants leave with:
A scientifically-informed framework for understanding trauma’s personal impact, and an array of practices to implement for healing and self-care and a supportive community network.
Are You Ready to Begin?
Every retreat at the Uplands is co-created by participants and Uplands staff. Collaborate with us to customize your retreat and design the restorative experience your group needs.
