Program Overview
Purpose Statement:
MeadowHaven is a place of refuge for former members of abusive religious groups to come and heal. It is a home for these wounded people where they can have the time and support (3 - 6 months) to begin to put their lives back together. The ultimate goal for each participant will be to understand their life in the group in a realistic way and then, to gain life skills necessary to experience a healthy and fulfilled life in society. To further these ends, each participant will be invited to have a mentor responsible to encourage their continued healing and growth after they leave the MeadowHaven program.
Program:
Each individual’s experience and needs are unique. Therefore, an Individual Recovery Program (IRP) will be developed for each participant based upon their individual needs, psychological testing, personal history, age, physical check-up, etc. A flow-chart that graphically explains the program can be found here.
1. An interview, both written and oral, will be conducted to initially determine the applicant’s suitability for the services of MeadowHaven.
2. Those applicants who are invited to participate in the MeadowHaven program will be asked to secure, when possible, personal sponsors, or provide for their own support while at the facility.
When an individual begins their stay at MeadowHaven, several days are allowed for the participant to get acclimated to the facility, in which time the staff will begin to develop the participant's IRP. The IRP will include a number of interrelated "tracks", which, in their totality, will greatly enhance the participant's ability to live independently, free from the sociological or psychological bands that previously restricted them. Briefly, they are:
Life Skills Track
Frequently, people who leave high control, destructive groups struggle deeply to integrate into a world that is alien and confusing to them.
Residents will have opportunity to pursue such things as: a GED, higher education, how to set up a checking/bank account, establishing credit, health insurance, creating a resume, how to find employment, securing a driver’s license, financial management, finding relatives, parenting, decision making, etc. Trained mentors and staff will be available to assist the resident in developing an independent, productive life style.
In some cases, basic education on Body Needs may be necessary, comprising of education on nutrition, personal care, and sleeping routine, among other subjects.
Social Skills
Most totalitarian groups have interpersonal relationships based on an unspoken ranking determined by their compliance with the group or it's leadership. When a member begins to think independently, or questions the group, their relationships deteriorate and collapse. Consequently, such basic concepts as "trust" and "friendship" suddenly become hollow, meaningless words. This program includes workshops in communication, conflict resolution, setting barriers, and interdependence.
Thought Reform/Mind Control Track
Intense thought reform environments are often difficult to understand and break away from. Good and bad experiences are usually mixed together in ways that are difficult to separate. Many simply jettison their whole experience as “evil.” However, the residual effects of this kind of destructive group experience last for years. Thus, a comprehensive program including workshops, support groups, individualized counseling, videos, and reading material will help the person better understand the destructive elements of this process and validate their own experience.
Spiritual Dimension Track
Most high control, destructive groups have a spiritual component, particularly if it is a Bible based group. Leaving a manipulative group with this component is not like leaving some benign club or group. Frequently, the belief system continues to dominate the individual’s psyche long after they have left and understood the negative practices of their group.
Also, these practices do not exist in a vacuum. Practices always arise out of some belief system. For the resident who wants to pursue this dimension, qualified staff will help them develop the tools necessary to personally work through this critical component of their recovery. When appropriate, clergy from the resident’s religious heritage (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, etc.) will be called upon to assist in the person’s spiritual understanding.
All of these tracks help foster a new sense of independence, and hopefully, a new understanding of interpersonal relationships that is based on respect and genuine caring, rather than compliance to a group's ideology. Beyond the residency at Meadow Haven, we encourage the participant to work with a mentor or support group. In doing so, the gains made at Meadow Haven can be built upon and expanded.
It is not realistic to believe that most individuals who experience the program will leave with every issue resolved, or every difficulty eradicated, however we believe that this holistic approach, one which addresses all of an individual's needs, even to the most mundane, is the best suited to deal with the complicated issues that arise from being caught in an abusive religious group.
Requirements for Individuals Applying to MeadowHaven
1. The estimated cost for each participant accepted into the MeadowHaven program is approximately $1,700.00 a month. This covers room, board, and all counseling services. MeadowHaven does not charge fees for services rendered, however, there is therapeutic value to being financially responsible for one’s own healing. No one will be denied participation in the MeadowHaven program for lack of financial resources, but it is expected that each resident will make a determined effort to offset the costs of their stay. This may be accomplished via:
a. work rendered to maintain the facility (beyond what is expected of each resident).
b. donations from individual sources.c. donations from part-time work during residency.
d. scholarships, when available.
2. For those applicants accepted into the MeadowHaven program they will be expected to cooperate with the various components of their Individual Recovery Program and to work diligently towards their own healing.
3. Applicants will be interviewed by the staff prior to any decision regarding their participation.
Acceptance of any individual into the program is contingent upon room availability, and the discretion of the staff of MeadowHaven as to how beneficial they perceive the program will be for the client. MeadowHaven does not discriminate based on race, ethnic background, specific creed, or economic standing.