“Before I came to camp I felt broken and alone. After camp, I found hope that I can heal.” – C.T. 2016
Our Mission
The mission of the Center for Earth-Based Healing is to provide trauma-informed ecotherapy programs that promote holistic healing — psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual — for trauma survivors.
We are a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization located in Nelson County, Virginia that relies on individual donors, small community foundation grants, and in-kind donations to offer our programs free of charge for survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
We are a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization located in Nelson County, Virginia that relies on individual donors, small community foundation grants, and in-kind donations to offer our programs free of charge for survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
Our Staff
Our programs and camps are staffed by professionals who work and/or volunteer in the field of sexual and domestic violence and may vary by program.
Michele Zehr
Executive Director
Email: michelezehr@earthbasedhealing.org
Office: 434-277-5001
MICHELE ZEHR, M.Ed., M.A., is the founder of the Center for Earth-Based Healing. She has worked as an advocate for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in various capacities since 2009. As a Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator, she provided crisis intervention and support services for survivors at a sexual violence advocacy agency in Charlottesville, VA, and as a staff member at the Virginia Victim Assistance Academy, she taught the cultural competency module and mentored new professionals entering the field.
Michele has worked with ecotherapy modalities over the past decade, attending programs at the School of Lost Borders, Tracker School, and the Ecology of Awakening program, and is currently working on her certification as a Somatic Experiencing practitioner through Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. Her academic credentials include training in instructional design and two Master’s degrees in adult education and social justice education, focused on women’s and gender studies.
Michele also founded We2: Women’s Experiential Empowerment in 2013, a small business offering women’s self-defense classes, custom-designed professional development trainings, and transformational talks. She has spoken by invitation at Quadruplicity: Charlottesville’s Professional Women’s Conference, UVA’s Women’s Midlife Health Symposium, and was interviewed on Speaking of Travel with radio host Marilyn Ball.
Michele is a former U.S. Marine, backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail (2,175 miles), and in her downtime, loves connecting with nature, reading, and composing and playing music.
Executive Director
Email: michelezehr@earthbasedhealing.org
Office: 434-277-5001
MICHELE ZEHR, M.Ed., M.A., is the founder of the Center for Earth-Based Healing. She has worked as an advocate for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in various capacities since 2009. As a Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator, she provided crisis intervention and support services for survivors at a sexual violence advocacy agency in Charlottesville, VA, and as a staff member at the Virginia Victim Assistance Academy, she taught the cultural competency module and mentored new professionals entering the field.
Michele has worked with ecotherapy modalities over the past decade, attending programs at the School of Lost Borders, Tracker School, and the Ecology of Awakening program, and is currently working on her certification as a Somatic Experiencing practitioner through Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. Her academic credentials include training in instructional design and two Master’s degrees in adult education and social justice education, focused on women’s and gender studies.
Michele also founded We2: Women’s Experiential Empowerment in 2013, a small business offering women’s self-defense classes, custom-designed professional development trainings, and transformational talks. She has spoken by invitation at Quadruplicity: Charlottesville’s Professional Women’s Conference, UVA’s Women’s Midlife Health Symposium, and was interviewed on Speaking of Travel with radio host Marilyn Ball.
Michele is a former U.S. Marine, backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail (2,175 miles), and in her downtime, loves connecting with nature, reading, and composing and playing music.
How You Can Support Survivors
The Center for Earth-Based Healing spends $1100 per survivor per program, and we need your support to continue offering our healing camps. Survivors are never charged to attend because we believe a lack of financial resources should never be a barrier to healing. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which makes your contribution tax-deductible. Please consider sponsoring a survivor at a level that suits your financial situation, or see our in-kind donation list on the DONATE page. Thank you for your generosity.