Home > Weekends of Recovery > 2008 Weekends of Recovery: Dahlonega
MaleSurvivor Weekend of Recovery Level I: DARE TO DREAM
Center for New Beginnings, Dahlonega, Georgia
May 16-18, 2008
MaleSurvivor Weekends of Recovery are open to any man, 18 or older, who been sexually victimized as a child and/or as an adult. We have selected a very special place to host this weekend experience, the Center for New Beginnings, in Dahlonega, GA, about 2 hours north of Atlanta. The Center for New Beginnings is located in one of the most beautiful and peaceful spots in the nation – the unspoiled North Georgia mountains. The splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains - Cedar Mountain, in particular, to the west and the Horseshoe Appalachians to the north - provides a year-round backdrop for respite and renewal, and should be especially beautiful in the spring.
Enjoy the Outdoors
Explore nature trails winding through old hardwoods and towering pines, walk beside small, trickling streams, sit beside spring-fed reflection pools or in quiet coves where the loudest sound is the caw of a blackbird. Our 45 acres, surrounded by thousands of acres of old-styled pastures and woodlands, are "the mountains" at their best.
Goals of the Weekend of Recovery:
The facilitator team invites you to:
Dare to dream you can leave your isolation behind you at this weekend;
Dare to dream you can make real connections with the men and women at the weekend;
Dare to dream you can co-create and experience a sense of real safety;
Dare to dream you can claim your right to use your voice to become a powerful male survivor who is sensitive to his own feelings and experiences and those of other survivors here;
Dare to dream you can tell your story this time and be understood and believed and supported like you have always deserved;
Dare to dream you can experiment with being more vulnerable and letting go and still feel safe;
Dare to dream you will be able to leave Dahlonega a freer, less burdened, and even a happier man, taking the connections you make here with you to utilize as you continue to heal and recover!
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 27 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 on the MaleSurvivor website at www.malesurvivor.org. The rest of the team includes: Lee Beckstead, Joanna Colrain, John Crowe, Dale English, Lynne MacDonell, Ernesto Mujica, Mikele Rauch, and Jim Struve. MaleSurvivor reserves the right to make changes to the staff depending on enrollment.
Facilitator bios can be found on the MaleSurvivor website at www.malesurvivor.org
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. All participants must be able to safely and appropriately engage in structured group activities. 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 weekend 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 within two weeks of when we receive your application to talk with you about your needs for the weekend and your readiness to participate. All participants must be able to safely and appropriately engage in structured group activities. 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. Please do not schedule your travel arrangements until after your interview is completed and you have been told you have been accepted as a participant. The facilitator team will make every effort to complete that process as quickly as possible. The earlier you register, the more possible that will be (which of course could help you save money on transportation and by getting an early registration discount).
You can read comments from other participants on our web page, by clicking on the tab for the Weekends of Recovery, and then clicking on "testimonials". 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 weekend, 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 retreat. 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 retreat 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. Because many survivors have sexually acted out in childhood, adolescence or even young adulthood, we do not wish to automatically exclude them from a Weekend of Recovery. However, to assess each participant on a case-by-case basis, we want to be able to discuss perpetration history with them and their therapist. This means that in order to assure other participants that we have their safety in mind, we want to be able to screen anyone with such a history to determine if attending a weekend is in their best interest and the best interest of all participants. We encourage all potential participants to be honest when we call you about any such incidents(ces) in your past because some participants may be unable to deal with people with such histories. In such cases, an interview with the Weekends of Recovery Chairperson will be required to determine if you will be accepted.
Registration Costs
Registration includes the costs of the facilitated Weekend of Recovery program, with our 9 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 at the center. If you are not a MaleSurvivor member, we encourage you to join the organization prior to registration 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.
| CATEGORY A1 | Single w/Private Bath-MaleSurvivor Member | $685 |
| CATEGORY A1 | Deposit ONLY | $125 |
| CATEGORY A2 | Single w/Private Bath-Non-Member | $735 |
| CATEGORY A2 | Deposit ONLY | $125 |
| CATEGORY B1 | Double w/private bath-MaleSurvivor Member | $585 |
| CATEGORY B1 | Deposit ONLY | $125 |
| CATEGORY B2 | Double w/private bath - Non-Member | $635 |
| CATEGORY B2 | Deposit ONLY | $125 |
| CATEGORY C1 | Triple w/Shared Bath-MaleSurvivor Member | $545 |
| CATEGORY C1 | Deposit ONLY | $125 |
| CATEGORY C2 | Triple w/shared bath--Non-member | $595 |
| CATEGORY C2 | Deposit ONLY | $125 |
To register for the weekend, we ask that you complete an online registration at www.malesurvivor.org and/or mail in a registration form. To hold your spot for the weekend, you will be charged $150 deposit when you register online. 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 opt for the payment plan, your total registration must be paid by April 19th. In the case of you opting for the payment plan, you will provide your credit card to our confidential system, and your deposit will be charged the day you register. The system will provide a table of when the balance of your registration will be charged to your credit card. The system is set up to make equal monthly payments between now and April 19th, when your balance must be paid in full. You may also mail in monthly checks to MaleSurvivor. Holding your registration will be contingent on receipt of your additional registration fees due by April 19th.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Dependent on MaleSurvivor’s scholarship fund balance, a very 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. If your scholarship request can be 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 as much of the registration yourself as possible ( or ask others to assist you in your support group). 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 by donating to the Memorial Fund or on the registration form. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Dining: Marva Henry Pettis is our Chef for the weekend. Marva is Jamaican-born and trained in London, England and has 15 years of experience in hotel, cruise ships and restaurants Proficient in multiple cuisines: specializing in Caribbean, Vegetarian and Vegan. Marva brings a loving energy to the food she prepares to meet your needs. The Center understands the importance of properly designed meals and for that reason, diet requests and requirements are honored, from vegetarian to vegan to the more traditional meat and potatoes. An expanded and fully-equipped kitchen allows our chef to prepare three tasty meals a day.
Guests are welcomed to to the large decks just outside the dining room for lounging outdoors on Georgia's abundant warm fall and spring days. All of your food and snacks will be included in the registration fees. Please indicate on your registration form if you have special food requests.
Smoking Policy: Guests may not smoke anywhere in the Center - including guest rooms - out of consideration for other guests. Cigar and pipe smoking are also prohibited. Guests may smoke outside buildings in designated smoking areas only which will be indicated to you when you arrive.
Internet Access: The Center has wireless internet access in several buildings and a computer. However, we request that you only access the internet during break times and not during any regularly scheduled activities.
For Your Comfort While Visiting Dahlonega and the Center:
The average temperature for May is 64.7; the average high is 77.1; the average low temperature is 52.3; which should make for a very comfortable stay for us. Average precipitation for the month of May is 5.7 inches.
Getting To Dahlonega and The Center:
| By Air: | Atlanta International Airport is serviced by most major airlines. For a complete listing of available airlines check: www.slcairport.com/flights/airlines |
| By Train: | Atlanta is serviced by Amtrak. www.amtrak.com/destinations/index.html |
| By Bus: | Atlanta is serviced by Greyhound Bus. For a complete route map and reservations information call 1-800-739-5020 or check www.greyhound.com. The Greyhound Bus Depot is located in downtown Atlanta. Information about this bus terminal is also available at the Greyhound website. |
| By Car: | Directions are below if you are driving. |
Transportation To The Center:
The Center is easily accessed by car, however it is roughly a 2 hour drive north of Atlanta. Most major car rental companies are available at the Atlanta International Airport.
Ground transportation is also available via Fuller Transportation, 404-349-7006. Mikele Rauch, one of our facilitators, will coordinate with Fuller Transportation to assist each of you in getting the lowest cost trip to the center, if you do not have a ride, and/or will work to secure rides for any participant with other participants who volunteer to give rides. If you share a ride, please be respectful and offer assistance with paying for gas.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE CENTER: The Center has asked that we take our shoes off before entering all meeting spaces. So we’d suggest you bring shoes that are easy to slip on and off. You’re welcome to bring indoor slippers or shoes. Most cell phones do work here. There are plenty of walking trails through the woods, so bring socks, long pants, long sleeve shirts, bug protection and shoes that support you on rough terrain and are waterproof. Please bring your own flashlights. All bedding and towels are provided.
No alcohol or un-prescribed drugs may be brought to the weekend.
WHEN TO ARRIVE AND DEPART-MAKING PLANE RESERVATIONS
Please do not schedule your travel arrangements until after your interview is completed and you have been told you have been accepted as a participant. The facilitator team will make every effort to complete that process as quickly as possible. The earlier you register, the more possible that will be (which of course could help you save money on transportation and by getting an early registration discount).
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 10 am depending on the airport ; and plan to depart on Sunday no earlier than 6 pm . 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 the Center. If you need information about accommodations near either airport, please indicate this on your transportation form.
Arrival Policy
Safety for all participants is our utmost concern. Therefore, it is a requirement that in order to participate in the weekend, participants must arrive at the beginning of the weekend, by 12 noon on Friday. In planning your trip, you are expected to take into consideration the unpredictable delays that may accompany your travel. While we understand you may encounter delays for many reasons, we are unable to allow anyone to begin the weekend if your delay is greater than 2 hours. In other words, you cannot be admitted to the weekend after 2 pm for any reason. If you are experiencing a delay, we request you to call us to inform us of your arrival status. It is important to understand that in the event of your inability to attend due to late arrival, you will forfeit all monies paid for your registration. One strategy to avoid this situation is to arrive in the city of the weekend the night before, or a city near the airport. MaleSurvivor will provide you with information about budget hotels near the facility to help facilitate your stay. Your consideration of this policy will help strengthen the feeling of safety for all participants and help us to build a community.
Therapist Recommendation Letter:
When you register online, you will notice a link to a therapist recommendation letter and there is also a link under the tab for the Weekends of Recovery . 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 May 12th. 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.
Consent Form
There is also a tab on the website under Weekends of Recovery which contains our Participant Consent Form. We suggest you download this form and review it before you are interviewed. We ask that you bring your copy to the weekend, where we will provide you another opportunity to ask any questions you have. All participants must sign a consent form in order to participate in the weekend.
SCHEDULE: Below is the tentative schedule for the weekend:
Male Survivor Weekend of Recovery Tentative Schedule
May 16-18, 2008
FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008
| 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm - 1:45pm | Welcome and Guidelines for Participation |
| 1:45pm - 2:00pm | Break-Art Space open during all breaks |
| 2:00pm - 3:00pm | Co-creating Safety Guidelines |
| 3:00pm - 3:15pm | Break |
| 3:15pm - 4:15pm | Introducing Ourselves |
| 4:15pm - 4:30pm | Break |
| 4:30pm - 6:00pm | First Small Groups |
| 6:00pm - 6:30pm | Break/Journaling/Reflecting/Networking |
| 6:30pm - 7:30pm | Dinner |
| 7:30pm - 8:00pm | Break/Survivor T-shirts |
| 8:00pm - 9:30pm | Grounding and Centering |
| 9:30pm - | Journaling/Reflecting/Networking/Bedtime |
SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008
| 7:00am - 8:00am | Optional Walking Meditation |
| 8:00am - 9:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am - 9:15am | Check-In |
| 9:15am - 10:00am | Preparing to Tell My Story |
| 10:00am - 12:00pm | Telling My Story-Small Groups |
| 12:00pm - 12:30pm | Break/Reflecting/Art |
| 12:30pm - 1:30pm | Lunch |
| 1:30pm - 3:00pm | Optional Hike/Survivor T-Shirts |
| 3:00pm - 5:00pm | Sculpting |
| 5:15pm - 6:15pm | Small Groups |
| 6:15pm - 6:30pm | Break |
| 6:30pm - 7:30pm | Dinner |
| 7:30pm - 8:00pm | Break/Journaling/Reflecting/Networking/T-shirts |
| 8:00pm - 10:00pm | Shame Busting |
| 10:00pm - | Optional Drumming Circle/Campfire |
SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2008
| 7:00am - 8:00am | Optional Walking Meditation |
| 8:00am - 8:45am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am - 9:15am | Check-In |
| 9:15am - 11:00am | Community Building |
| 11:00am - 11:15am | Break |
| 11:15am - 12:45pm | Brief evaluation; last small group |
| 12:45pm - 1:00pm | Break |
| 1:00pm - 1:45pm | Lunch |
| 1:45pm - 2:00pm | Break |
| 2:00pm - 3:00pm | Closing/Group pictures |
ANY QUESTIONS
Questions can be directed to Howard Fradkin at 614-445-8277, 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
