Level 1
Weekend of Recovery
The Pacific Northwest Community Survivors Network and Taking Back Ourselves invites you to a Level 1 Weekend of Recovery for trans and nonbinary survivors of sexual abuse and assault.
This Weekend will be held at the Menucha Retreat and Conference Center in Corbett, OR.
Each weekend will accommodate a maximum of 25 participants and 6 facilitators. This ratio of specialty facilitators to participants in small groups is a powerful adjunct to recovery. Each member of the TBO team brings decades of experience and skill with survivors of trauma, utilizing the same clinical boundaries and code of ethics as adopted by the American Psychological Association. The Weekend strengthens participants' ongoing recovery work with individual and/or group psychotherapy, twelve step programs, and spiritual work, and is not meant to be a substitute for the participants' local support systems that are consistent with their own recovery.
Participants will learn and implement tools for inner and outer safety, tell their story and be heard—with the power of community—and create a new template for recovery that will continue long after the weekend.
Weekends of Recovery are designed with profound respect and attention to not only what is comfortable and safe, but also what is most empowering. The facilitator team utilize mindfulness, bodywork, music, art, authentic movement, and empowerment—modalities in healing not often available to this degree in traditional talk therapy or recovery venues. It will be an opportunity for survivors to find the places in themselves that seem immovable in recovery, and to embrace their strength and sense of aliveness as survivors.
For Weekends of Recovery to take place, they need to be affordable and viable to attend. We know that financial challenges are real and can make it difficult for survivors to commit to their own recovery needs. Scholarships are available to all who apply, and payment plans are available to both discounted and full-price registration. Additionally, in an effort to reduce barriers to healing from sexual abuse in the Pacific Northwest, the PNWCSN is offering a $450 discount to all resident of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
Pacific Northwest Community Survivors Network (PNWCSN)
“Pacific Northwest Community Survivors network (PNWCSN) creates opportunities for healing in the pacific north west for sexual abuse survivors by providing support through retreats, peer support, professional training, and general information. PNWCSN seeks to reduce barriers to survivor’s healing by raising funds for individual participation and collaborating with existing entities committed to helping people heal from sexual abuse and assault.”
For more information about what PNWCSN has to offer, visit their website.
Menucha Retreat Center
“Menucha’s mission is enriching lives through hospitality, learning, reflection and renewal.
We encourage and support purposeful work in this sacred space so that those who come here will return to their own communities rejuvenated and better able to serve their fellow human beings.”
Menucha is conveniently located about 30 minutes outside of Portland, with convenient access to the air, bus, and train terminals of both Portland and Vancouver. Detailed directions and a map of the grounds are located on the Menucha website.
When you apply:
You will be contacted by one of the TBO facilitators for a pre-Weekend interview. They will help assess what you need to feel safe and comfortable as you participate on a Weekend, about your hopes and goals, and what brought you to applying for TBO.
During that interview, we assess if this is the right Weekend for you. It is important for you to know that no one with a sex offender history can apply. If this is a part of your story, we will be happy to help you find the right resources for you.
The interview will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions and get a feeling for what’s ahead. If you are in therapy, you will be asked to give your therapist the attached document to sign as a letter of support. As the Weekend of Recovery draws closer, you will hear from us about how to prepare for the Weekend, as well as information about transportation and ride shares.
While you may choose to begin making travel arrangements before the interview, please know that the interview is an essential part of the process.
When you come to the Weekend:
It is a daunting experience to walk into a room full of strangers, virtual or in person, much less into a weekend like this. One of the most inspiring things we hear from participants is how scary it was to even sign up and come. Those who come toTaking Back Ourselves are from all walks of life. They have come through so very much to be there. It is an extraordinary experience to be in the company of courageous and empowered survivors.
The most important thing you can do is to establish as a community what it means to be safe with others and within yourself. Participants utilize mindfulness, body work, movement, art, journaling, and really great music to learn some new skills that can help you feel safer and more grounded as you continue to work on your recovery. You will have a chance to tell your story of the abuse with safety and the support you have always deserved.
On the last day of the Weekend, the TBO community prepares to leave with all the tools participants have learned throughout the weekend. Much may have changed for the participants, but those around us are still the same. So, this segment is vitally important as participants go back to their families, loved ones and communities to continue on in their lives.
Participants are asked to commit to be at the Weekend from 1pm on Friday until 3pm Sunday. In respect for the safety and community, it is essential that we have this boundary and begin together as a community.
After the Weekend:
Alumni of Weekends of Recovery join the vibrant family of TBO and build a support network once they participate in a weekend. They have the opportunity to keep the fire burning and to continue to grow in a strong community of empowered survivors connected to one another and to themselves in new and vibrant ways. Alumni can access monthly offerings of yoga, somatic work, art, and join the remarkable community of connection of TBO.
Paying for a Weekend:
Scholarships are offered on a first come, first served basis. Those receiving a scholarship must register for a triple room. If you are interested in receiving this additional support, please apply here before moving to the registration process.
In addition, the PNWCSN is offering a $450 discount to all resident of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, and may be used in conjunction with scholarships.
Payment plans are also available for all discounted offerings, as well as full-priced registration. Please reach out to Jessica to request a payment plan for your selected room type.
The registration fee covers lodging and food for your entire weekend, and contributes to travel costs and modest stipends for facilitators.
$1000 Single Room (first come, first served)
$850 Double Room
$700 Triple Room
Weekends of Recovery provide an unprecedented surplus of support and resources for survivors. Because of the attention to space, safety, and the ratio of facilitators to participants, they are expensive to run. We are always seeking donations and funding to support survivors with resources and empowerment. If you are in a position to donate money or resources, please considering helping others get to a weekend.